Neill & Ross Reviews

ClarkVV	4.2 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle shared on 10/8/16. Very carbonated with a mountain of nectarine pulp-tinged white head that tops a deep golden body with strong violet-auburn hues. Good clarity. Blackberries still quite apparent in the nose, but it mixes with loads of brett and lactic character from the Girardin. Things seem nicely attenuated, both lambic and fruit and the red wine isn’t all that apparent, certainly not overdone. Woody, earthy and lightly-to-moderately funky notes are all mixed in with the nicely developed acids as the fruit accentuates, but does not dominate either. No alcohol or flaw. The flavor is lovely as well, with a puckering sourness that is somewhat softened by wood tannin and just a touch of maltiness. The blackberries have eased off to the point of perfection, it seems, and add complexity without taking away from the lambic, which is sour, yet still round and moderately fruity, as is Girardin apt to be with age on it. Strong, yet tight carbonation and a supple texture put the finishing touches on quite a lovely creation here. Should be good for many years to come. Friday, October 28, 2016
jtclockwork	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Etched bottle thanks to Adam - shared at Grana Padano share 2016 - pours rose white head - nose/taste of blackberry, oak, funk and vinous funky wine - medium body Sunday, October 9, 2016
kermis	3.9 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle shared at A Day To Sink All Sea Shepards tasting. Hazy amber with an off white head. Aroma of mineral notes, citrus, light funk, light lactic notes and dustiness. Flavour is above moderate sour. Medium bodied with soft carbonation. [17-09-2016] Tuesday, September 27, 2016
kraddel	3.6 N&R - Shot In The Dark @ A day to sink all seasheppards. Thnx for sharing, everyone !! Pours clear amber, small white head. Smell is very metallic, mild funk. Dry. Taste is sour, dry, sharp fruit (cherry ) very dry ending. Saturday, September 17, 2016
rouhlas	3.9 N&R - Shot In The Dark 750 ml bottle at Gueuze tasting 2016, Ulfborg. Thanjks Alex! Light hayz amber orange color with off white head. Yeasty aroma, barnyard, dusty, grassy, tart citrusy fruity, berries, vinous, wood. Sweet and acidic acetic fruity taste. Medium oily body with almost fizzy carbonation. Friday, July 15, 2016
bursprak	4.2 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle @ Ulfborg gueze tasting. Hazy orangish pour with a fluffy head. Lots of barrel character, grape skin, juicy berries, vinous, some oaky vanilla. Quite tasty! Held up well! Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Vestergaard	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark From Bottle @fonefan gueuze tasting Ulfborg, thanks to nightfall - june 24th 2016. Ratebeer deleted my rating, so i’ll have to do this from memory... Orangy yellow, hazy, small white head. Aroma has mold, berries, funk, oak. Taste is sour, dry, tart citric, funky and with a light bitterness. High carbonation and a rather light body. Friday, June 24, 2016
MrOrla	3.4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle. Pours golden with a white head. aroma of barn, leathery, funky, grapes. Sour berries, funk,dark fruits, light leather, and some ligjht phenoloc hints(plastic), light vinegar, , a touch of vinegar, a touch of fruits. Friday, June 24, 2016
Klimaet	3.9 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle @ Ulfborg Gueuze Tasting thanks to Nightfall! Pours reddish hazy orange with a big offwhite head. Aromas of funk, berries, citrus, vinous. Taste has vinous notes, oak, lactic tartness, subtle vinegar, berries. Friday, June 24, 2016
ctipping	3.7 N&R - Shot In The Dark 750 mL unlabeled bottle. Deep orange and a bit reddish. Huge off-white head. Thick collar. Lots of wisps. Smell is very musty. Yeasty. Lots of funk and some tart musty berry. Kinda woody with some dried grass. Taste has musty blackberry. More distinct blackberry. Kind of a wine-like grape flavor. Some oak. Pleasant tartness, but not that sour. Just a lot of yeastiness. High carbonation. Medium light body. I understand this is Girardin lambic, but it doesn’t have that intense acetic sourness that Girardin typically has. Much more fruit and wood. Monday, March 21, 2016
knickskicks	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Murky dark red. Nose is musty, cobwebs, funky, much more berries than Tilquin Mure. Taste is minerals, cobwebs, berries, some funk. Tartness and minerals on the finish. Friday, June 19, 2015
hopscotch	3.8 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle... Cloudy caramel-colored ale with a small, creamy, white head. Good retention. The aroma is a funky and fruity collage of barnyard, old cheese, horse blanket, fallen oak and dark berries. Medium-bodied and astringent with adequate carbonation. The flavor is very tart, funky and a hint fecal with a dry finish. Bottle courtesy of newcigarz! Tuesday, December 16, 2014
50belair	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle generously shared by Seth. Red Amber pour with an off white head. Funk and berry bouquet. Effervescent with tart berry, funk, wet blanket, and brett highlights. Good body and mouthfeel. Tuesday, October 7, 2014
biggsbowler	4.7 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle - pours amber. Lemon notes, blackberry, sour and tart in the nose. Nice tart taste with a light blackberries. It’s just damn good!!! Monday, October 6, 2014
mcberko	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark 750mL bottle, courtesy of tderoeck (thanks so much, Tim!), pours a cloudy opaque dark orange amber with a large beige head. Nose brings out a mix of incredibly complex classic Girardin funk and blackberries - lots of fruits still present here. Some red wine barrels noticeable as well. Flavour is amazingly complex, with the red wine barrels upfront, followed by the blackberries and medium funk. The carbonation is very aggressive. Acidity is fairly high. The red wine barrel complexity steals the show on this one. A pleasure to try. Excellent lambic. Monday, June 23, 2014
ThirstyBird	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle @ RBBSG II. Thanks to tderoeck! Pours a mild hazy ruby red with a light pink head that goes to a ring. The smell is funky, tart, sour nose...blueberry. The taste is very tart, sour, lactic with a very dry aftertaste. Light in body with lots of soft carbonation. A very nice lambic! Friday, April 18, 2014
Nightfall	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Wednesday, January 1, 2014
jmagnus87	4.6 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle sampled at RBSG. From notes. Super fruity with loads of funk. Barnyard, horse blanket and leather. One of my highlights of the night. Thursday, September 26, 2013
Ludvig	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark 750ml bottle caped and corked! nice berry character to it, fairly nice acidity. cloudy is a bluish red Sunday, September 1, 2013
Mathieu87	5 N&R - Shot In The Dark Saturday, August 31, 2013
Alesmith	4.7 N&R - Shot In The Dark 75cl bottle. Beautiful hazy pink head. Blackberries, citrus and jam on the nose. Very well balanced with moderate carbonation and a medium to light body. For me it has the right amount of sour and has a very crisp dry finish, making it exceptionally drinkable, definitely very moreish. Overall this is an excellent lambic that i’m glad I had the chance to try. It’s all the more impressive for it being a first brew from these guys, hopefully there is more to come from N&R in the future! Sunday, August 25, 2013
TheHOFF43	4.5 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle shared by t0rin0 at RBSG. Pour is a light red, almost pink. Acidic aroma, flavor matches. Fruity (raspberries?) and sour, but not overly tart or mouth puckering. Just a really a nice beer. Thursday, August 22, 2013
JK	4.6 N&R - Shot In The Dark RBSG 2013, thanks to Bobby for sharing this one. Light red color. Sour acidic aroma. Flavor is very sour as well, with lots of berry flavor. Girardin sourness and flavor accentuated by the wine and fruit. Excellent beer. This was probably the best beer of the weekend. Sunday, August 18, 2013
BVery	4.3 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle shared by Bobby - holy crap this is awesome. Sour and tart, but in control. Rich and bold. Heck yeah this rules! Saturday, August 17, 2013
Godofthecellar	3.6 N&R - Shot In The Dark drank this side by side with southhampton BRL, thanks Dan(totoropanda) for bringing both A- light purple with half a finger inch head N- sour berry, brett and oak T- nice blend of sour blackberry, raspberry and a hint of blueberry sweetness. Overall the flavor was muted in comparison to BRL. P- smooth but sorta BLAH. not much going on O- Glad to tick it, but wouldnt seek this one out again Thursday, April 25, 2013
fonefan	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle 750ml. cap & corked. [ Bottle # 73 ]. Clear medium to dark red - purple colour with a small to average, frothy, good lacing, mostly diminishing, off-white to white head. Aroma is moderate to heavy grape, barnyard, leather, fruity - berry, light to moderate red wine. Flavour is moderate sweet and acidic with a long duration, tart, berry, wood, barnyard, vinous, red wine, dry dry. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20121109] Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Minderbinder	3.8 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle 750ml. Pours amber/pink with medium off-white head. Aroma is of fruits, blackberries. Taste is of blackberries, fruits, acid, sour. Something a little weird. Palate: Ligth body. Overall: Pretty good, but there is a little something off. Thursday, March 7, 2013
tom10101	4.2 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle (750 ml). Huge thanks to Pier-Luc and Julien for finding these bottles and to David for sharing it! Slightly hazy amber/pinkish with a medium off-white head and good lacing. Aroma is dicrete at first but the fruits and the red wine treatment slowly show up and finally give this beer a really interesting nose. Taste is moderately sour with blackberries, slight red wine presence and acetic notes. Mouthfeel is winey and slightly dry. Very good fruited lambic. I’m glad I had the chance to try this one! Wednesday, February 27, 2013
czar	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark bottle shared by tom10101, many thanks! pours hazy light pinkish with a nice frothy off-white head, good retention and lacing. barn, dry unripened red fruits (although they lie low in aroma), (very) few acetic notes, pepper, red grape skin’s acidity and tannins finishing with a balanced astringency likely associated to blackberries. almost prickly carbonation, light body, refreshing, classic (in its own way) and good! Wednesday, February 27, 2013
MJGG	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bouteille de 750 ml, merci beaucoup à David. Arômes typiques d’une gueuze (le fruit est peu apparent), avec de belles notes de foin sec et de brettanomyces. Robe rose et légèrement trouble, effervescence d’abord active, mais qui diminue rapidement. En bouche, le caractère du lambic est bien exprimé avec de belles notes citriques et le fruit se fait surtout remarquer par la longue finale acidulée et même légèrement amère. Finale très sèche, lactique et citrique. Un beau lambic aux fruits. Sunday, February 17, 2013
Dunt	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottled poured into a Duvel art glass. Pours a hazy dark pink/light purple in color with a small off-white head. Nose is oak, lemon, grape, some band aid, and some very light blackberry. The flavor has a lot of similar themes as the nose, it’s heavy on the oak and has lighter lemon than typical Girardin lambic. There is some underlying berry in the background as well. The flavor is a little muted/watered down, but it’s nuanced and nice. Light mouthfeel, gentle acidity, light to moderate carbonation, and a moderate finish. Nice beer, would like to see it sour up a little more, but this is a pretty balanced lambic right now. Well done gentlemen! Saturday, February 16, 2013
callmemickey	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Dark hazy orange-amber body, thin off-white head, spotty lacing. Nose shows mild funky oak, must, blackberry, lemon and tannic red wine. Flavor carries these notes forward, presenting a bold, deep, and well-integrated flavor profile that shows a nice balance between the assertive blackberry and lemon notes, and the mild funky oak, must, earth, and wet hay. Medium to light bodied, good acidity, sourness, and gentle carbonation. A nice tannic-dry finish solidifies this as an excellent fruit lambic. Hopefully these guys have another project in the works--I am all in. Friday, February 1, 2013
gunnfryd	3.8 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle. Red orange colour with an off-white head. Aroma is yeast, brett, berries. Flavour is yeast, brett, berries, vanilla, oak, lemon. Nice beer. Saturday, January 26, 2013
BMan1113VR	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle (thanks to Dak, I think). Pours with a hazed orange hued body with a retentive, off-white head. Aromas are delicous, zesty, blackberry, lemon verbena, funky, fruity, grapefruit, acidic, earthy, red wine. Flavors are softly funky, acidic, bright fruit, earthy, red wine, black berries, zesty fruit. Super. Tannic, dark fruit, nice acid. Lively, dry and puckering with medium tannins. Would love to see more of this. A new take on fruit lambics with authentic lambic wort and microflora. Tuesday, January 1, 2013
hopdog	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark 750ml bottle (thanks Josh for sharing!). Poured a deep amberish color with a larger sized off white head. Grapes, vinous, some funkiness, with some fruity/berries. Lively and fizzy body that distracted from the overall experience (but still a solid beer). Saturday, December 29, 2012
brokensail	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Dark red pour with a short lived pinkish head. Really great berry aroma. Plenty of blackberry, a hint of cherry skin, a nice musty and earthy funk, and a soft lemon tartness. A nice touch of red wine, too. Tastes of blackberry, grass, oak, wine, and plenty of musty funk. A light earthiness, some lactic sourness, and a touch of residual sweetness. Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Ratman197	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark 750 ml bottle poured a hazy amber with a lasting amber head. Aromas of blackberry, straw, horseblanket and citrus. Palate was light bodied and crisp with a dry tart finish. Flavors of blackberry, citrus, straw and barnyard funk with a crisp dry tart lingering funky blackberry finish. Sunday, December 16, 2012
xscottypx	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Pour was a light purple, little head. Nose was light blackberry and fruit. Light sourness and lemon. Taste was sour, with strong oak and tannic properties. Very light blackberry and grape. Very carbonated feel, super dry. Overall, a great beer. Monday, December 10, 2012
crosamich	3.7 N&R - Shot In The Dark from months ago. acidity out front, berries and currants in the background. pinkish color. pretty clean and tart. astringency I always relate to blackberries. Thursday, November 29, 2012
Savvy1982	4.5 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle at my 30th Birthday tasting, from a 3 Fonteinen tumbler. Thanks Adam! Pours hazy deep pinkish red, thick dark pink head. Great lacing. Nose is blackberries, raspberries, pencil lead/graphite, big gentle leather. I’m stunned by how feminine this is, reminds me more of Framboos than anything else. Flavours of berries - lots of berries: Blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, and maybe just a hint of currant. Funk is present and correct, but not overwhelming. Spectacular balance. Loved this one! Monday, November 12, 2012
yngwie	3.8 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle, 75cl wine corked. A gusher, unclear and reddish orange in color, with a small, dense, orangey white head. Funky nose with lemony notes, barnyard and a vinous touch. Old leather, stable, some berries and a hint of grapefruit in the aroma. It’s tart and quite effervescent, medium bodied. Funky flavor with lots of acidity and lemon. Some vinous notes and berries. Lasting lemony finish with funk and some berries. A really pleasant one, complex and tasteful. 121109 Friday, November 9, 2012
Meilby	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle 750ml @ fonefan Pours slightly hazy deep amber with a off-white head. Aroma is sour with a classic geuze aroma with berries. Taste is light sweet and medium sour with a long dry, vinous, fruity and sour finish. Body is medium, texture is thin, carbonation is soft to fizzy. Friday, November 9, 2012
Rasmus40	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Botte @ fonefan tasting. Hazy red with a lasting off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, fruity, red wine and barnyard. Flavor is medium sweet and rather acidic. Dry and rather acidic finish. 091112 Friday, November 9, 2012
chrisv10	4.1 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle @ FOneFan. Deep amber with medium off-white head. Aroma is malt, tart, barnyard, fruit, wheat and a little cherries. Flavour is malt, tart, little sour, little cherries, barnyard, wine, fruit and medium dry. Friday, November 9, 2012
saxo	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle @ fonefan tasting. Nice head with good duration. Color is red. Aroma and taste are brett, malt, wood, wine, fruits, blackberries and hops. Nice and sour. Friday, November 9, 2012
JulienHuxley	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Bottle thanks to TRApissed. This rating is unfortunately a rush rating for a bottle that was opened and reclosed by a customs agent. I guess I can stil say thanks for letting it by. Rather dark purple pour with a few bubbles of white head, light carbonation has survived which bodes well for protection against oxidisation. Aroma is quite fruity, fresh raspberry aroma, slightly reminiscent of Cantillon’s rose de gambrinus, light woody notes as well, funk is really tame, light lemony aroma. Taste is tart, lots of berry tartness, strong grapefruit flavor, cranberry also, woody finish. Broad spectrum of fruity flavors. Palate is fairly dry, no real residual fruit sweetness, carbonation is low, but that was expected under the circumstances. Overall, a very tasty fruit lambic. The blackberry doesn’t stand out so much on it’s own, but the blend is good. Tuesday, October 30, 2012
bu11zeye	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark (750ml bottle) Pours a pink body with a small white head. Aroma of mustiness, yeast, herbs, fruit, and barnyard. Flavor of brett, fruit, mineral, herbs, and wood with a dry finish. Thursday, October 4, 2012
gEUS	4.2 N&R - Shot In The Dark bottle sample at the epic beer tasting - thanks to BelgBeerGeek. Pours murcky red with a pinkish head. Aroma is cherries and blackberries. Light body with sour fruitiness in balance, very dry finish. Taste of cherries, grapefruit, and catpiss. Very nice beeer (better than Blabaer in my opinion) Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Bart	3.7 N&R - Shot In The Dark 75cl Bottle @ RBBSG, courtesy of tderoeck. Light amber coloured beer with no carbonation and a small off white head. Fruity sour short grainy hinted aroma. Full light sprankling sour fruity palate. Finish is light fruity sour balanced with a longer frouty sour ending, not to expressive but very enjoyable. Sunday, September 30, 2012
Damico	4 N&R - Shot In The Dark Pours reddish amber in color with a beautiful white head. The aroma brings more blackberries and sweet fruity notes than the flavor with some nice earthy yeast. The flavor brings tart lambic flavors with the blackberries more in the background on the tongue unfortunately than in the flavor. There is still the delicious Gueze tart flavor that one hopes for though no doubt. Sunday, September 2, 2012