Biere de Mars
For the first time in three years we are pleased to offer one of our favorite harbingers of spring, Biere de Mars.
With earthy tones of ripe mango and lemon verbena, this bottle-conditioned ale reflects the hearty character of the southern Belgian and northern French countrysides. Brewed with barley, oats and wheat malt, Biere de Mars' celestial orange hue inspired the planetary play on words.
Brettanomyces, a wild yeast strain, added for bottle-conditioning creates a refreshingly sour flash across the palate. Lemon peel coupled with the lemon verbena imparts fruitlike character and a citrusy finish.
Jessica Morton, our Sensory Technician, recommends:
Biere de Mars is inoculated with our house Brettanomyces WILD yeast, which gives it a rustic flavor and a pleasantly dry finish. This, coupled with a refreshing citrus zing from the lemon peel, lemon verbena and a full body from the barley-oat-wheat malt trilogy, makes for a satisfying palate cleansing beer. One of my all-time favorite Biere de Mars pairings was a soft sheep's milk cheese flavored with sundried tomatoes and chipotle chilies. The lemony flavors in the beer were a fantastic foil for the subtle heat of the chilies, and the Bretta character complemented the smoky-earthy notes in the dried tomatoes and chilies. Biere de Mars' dry finish did an excellent job of cleansing the palate from the creaminess of the cheese, and the slight sweetness of the malt mellowed out the tangy-saltiness of the sheep's milk.
I love to cook with this beer too...when making a wild and brown rice pilaf, I substitute Biere de Mars for 1/3 of the cooking water, and then stir roasted veggies into the finished rice. This beer is also great for deglazing the cooking pan after sautéing brats on the stove...instant sauce for your spaetzel. And what could be better than noshing on some awesome soft pretzels with spicy-sweet mustard, a cold Biere de Mars chillin' in your hand? I recommend trying this beer with seafood too; buttery King crab legs or remoulade-topped crab cakes come to mind. As long as you keep it farm fresh and simple, Biere de Mars just might be the food-friendliest beer on the planet!
Melissa Newell, Owner of Terroir Restaurant, recommends:
Golden amber in hue, this beer has delicately balanced hops with toasty aromas. Definite tropical notes of musty pineapple, dried apricot, and sweet papaya immediately indicate that this beer was made to pair with warm weather foods.
For starters, I would pair this beer with crab cakes of Dungeness lump crab, poblano pepper, sundried tomato, and curry with a mango coulis to finish the dish. Or try a salad of mixed greens with avocado tossed in a mimosa vinaigrette of pineapple juice, citrus segments, and cayenne pepper.
For a main course, a couple of ideas come to mind. Perhaps jerk pork with toasted almond studded coconut rice and papaya relish or an African stew of peanuts, hearty greens, and pineapple.
To finish this meal, consistent with the warm weather theme, I think a pineapple frangipane tart could tantalize anyone's taste buds when paired with this beer. Almond paste custard adorned with fresh sliced pineapple and brushed with a pineapple, brown sugar glaze. For any warm weather party, this beer is optimal and "ripe" for pairing.
Vincent Clark, Chef and Owner of Food for Thought Catering recommends:
Pecan smoked trout and wild mushroom strudel with a tangle of micro green, citrus vinaigrette and chive oil. I paired this trout dish with the Biere de Mars because the earthy taste of the mushrooms along with the smokiness & slight slatiness of the trout made for a very nice contrast of the citrus tones of the beer along with the citrus vinaigrette which tied it all together.
Don Pieratt, Cheese Monger at Chez Cheese Gourmet Market in Larimer Square, Denver, Colorado, recommends:
Our first cheese is one of a few Italian washed rind cheeses. Taleggio is made from cow's milk - a soft, rich, buttery and beefy cheese with nuances of fruit and nuts.
The next cheese is a soft ripened goat cheese from Spain called Cana de Cabra. Aged only 21 days, it has a creamy and mild flavor that intensifies over time. Both of these soft cheeses pair well with Biere de Mars' fruity tones and crisp dry finish and would be great any season.
