Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles

Au Baron Cuvée des Jonquilles

‘Jonquilles’ is the French word for daffodils, and the name undoubtedly refers to the lush garden surroundings of the Baron restaurant and its tiny Bailleux brewery, where the beer is made in very small batches. Cuvée des Jonquilles is almost impossible to find even in France, and intrepid beer-lovers usually have to make their way to the restaurant to get it.

The Baron and Baileux brewery are situated just over the border with Belgium, and are themselves nearly impossible to find, but very much worth the effort.

The family that has run the restaurant and the brewery since 1989 comes from Belgium, and connoisseurs will note that the Cuvée des Jonquilles has a strong affinity with the classic Belgian saison beers. (The Baron is very close in fact to the Blaugies brewery in Belgium, which makes beautiful saison; you might do well to stop in there to ask the good people for help in finding the restaurant.)

All you need to know is that Cuvée des Jonquilles has long been considered one of the very best beers of France. Think how lucky you are to be able to drink it here – if you can find some. We only have twenty cases at a time, and will probably never be able to get any more than that at a time.

Brasserie Au Baron Cuvee des Jonquilles represents a relatively rare “blonde” variant of the style—we’re accustomed to our Biere de Gardes favoring amber coloration, so we were pleased when we came across this unusual version, as blonde BdG’s are pretty tough to come by. Use caution when popping the cork—we’ve got a live one here! Make sure the beer has had time to settle in the fridge for at least a day or two after shipping. Even after...