I've been drinking these for at least the last three months. It took some time to carbonate with the wine yeast and then the beers seemed to continue to improve with more time in the bottle. They have gained acidity and the brett flavor, which was always pretty prominent, has developed quite a bit more. I've really enjoyed tasting the beer evolve over time. I imagine it will continue to change.
Anyway, it's developed a very pleasing set of flavors so I think it is finally time for a tasting. The beer is good both at refrigerator and cellar temperatures. I find that the flavors come out a bit more at cellar temperatures so that's what I'm doing for this tasting.
Tasting Notes:
- Aroma:
- Rich dark fruit and leathery brett funk on the nose. Smells a bit acidic with a hint of vinegar. Also get a bit of alcohol aroma.
- Appearance.
- Reddish brown - quite red actually. Pours with a 1 finger head that quickly dissipates down to nothing. Good clarity if I'm careful not to pour in to much sediment.
- Flavor:
- Dark fruit flavor up front. I'd describe it as cherry flavor. Also get quite a bit of earthy flavor in the mix initially. Finishes with an assertive sourness which lingers. It's just as sour as Rodenbach Grand Cru, I'd say. Also get a nice bit of bready malt flavor in the finish which adds a nice bit of complexity.
- Mouthfeel:
- Light bodied, very dry, and crisp. The acidity leaves a slight prickling on the tongue and palate. It's a refreshing beer when chilled.
- Overall:
- The beer ended up with a really pleasing level of complexity. It's not as good as Rodenbach but I'm still really happy with how well it delivers the expected flavors. The malty flavor is especially pleasant going along with the firm acidity. Not sure how the beer managed to retain this as a number of the other batches didn't really have that.
The other half of this blend has been aging on sour cherries for the last few months. This tasting has made me eager to try that one out. I'll plan on bottling that soon as I imagine that it's had enough time. Will post separate tasting notes for that as well as some comparisons.
