Bayou Teche – Courir De Mardi Gras Wins Brewery 4th Silver Medal
Arnaudville, LA – Acadiana’s Bayou Teche Brewing’s Courir de Mardi Gras was recently awarded a silver medal in the Biere de Garde, Ale category of the annual World Beer Championships. The competition, held by the Beverage Testing Institute is open to commercial beer brewers worldwide. Beers are judged on a 100 point scale, and are evaluated by professional judges in a tasting room designed to minimize distractions. Additionally the judges taste the beers blind – aware only of the category of beer, not the brand. Said Bayou Teche’s brewmaster Karlos Knott, “We just got the news. We opened a few celebratory bottles from the last six pack of Courir that we had set aside for a special occasion. There were so many outstanding and famous beers in this year’s competition, we are just elated.”
The ale scored 87 points, and the tasting notes graded the Courir De Mardi Gras as highly recommended. These notes also suggest the beer is bright clear gold and has aromas of bright buttered raisin toast with a crisp medium body and a nice peppery frisee and radicchio-like hop finish. The judges also noted that it was a very pleasant take on the style. The win now grants Bayou Teche Brewing its fourth silver medal awarded at the annual competition.
Said Knott, “Courir de Mardi Gras was the first seasonal beer our brewery released – just two months before this year’s Mardi Gras. It is our artisanal version of a Biere de Mars. These ales are historically crafted in small batches on French farms with Pilsner, Munich and wheat malt.” In France, a Biere de Mars is traditionally brewed at the beginning of winter with the farm’s freshest crop of barley, wheat and hops. Furthered Knott, “We opted to brew this style of ale seasonally for South Louisiana’s pre-Lenten celebrations.”
Bayou Teche Brewing released Courir de Mardi Gras in collaboration with Valcour Records. Their CD, The Best of Valcour Records Volume I was designed to accompany the brewery’s seasonal Mardi Gras Beer and free downloads from the CD were included in every six pack. Said Knott, “This was the first of many beer/music collaborative projects we have planned with the innovative trio behind Valcour records.”
Knott was surprised at how quickly Bayou Teche Brewing’s first seasonal beer was noticed in such a renowned world-wide competition, as their beer is only sold regionally. “Everyone here at the brewery is excited and motivated about receiving the newest silver medal win – we can hardly wait until we brew some again next year.” Courir de Mardi Gras is released in limited edition batches, and will be available again just before next year’s Mardi Gras throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.
