Flying Dog is home to some of the best brews I’ve tasted to date. With Spring here and Summer just around the corner, diving into their seasonal Biere de Garde style ale, Garde Dog, is right in line. A traditional French farmhouse ale, the Biere de Garde style is meant for consumption in the well-weathered Spring and Summer seasons.

Had my tulip glass been around, I would have used that for this Ale style but instead I used my fallback pint glass. The 12 oz bottle poured really vibrantly and brilliant into the glass. The pour was quite clear, golden and had a bubbly two-finger white head. Lacing on this was absent, which is a bit disappointing but with something so light, I should expect it.

The smell was blandly typical. It had a fun and light Saison smell to it complete with sweet hops and a typical toasted malt body. The presence of the malt wasn’t enough for this brew to stand alone on, although it did. A slight bitterness and spice came through but the overall complexity of this beer is horribly lacking.

The mouthful on this beer is thin and light, and unfortunately follows suit with the nose. Weak overall flavor characterized by a simplistic malt character isn’t enough for me to be jumping for joy. This is disappointingly bland with no spice present, a hint of bitterness from the hops and a thin and watery overall feel. Wow, a lack of flavors really is the pitfall of this beer.

The Garde Dog is a very easy drinking beer, which is great for some people. For me, I’m all about flavor and when I taste something like this, I’m setting myself up for failure. It’s an American spin on a French style, which you have to admire Flying Dog for giving it, uniqueness is key. The execution though is more important than the brainstorming. The flavors need to be pumped up a bit more to show the style and stand out from accidentally getting mistaken for Natty Lite at the next Frat party.

Overall: 6/10