4.1 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20
on tap at city beer for almanac release event! pours a ruby color with a fruity aroma. Flavor is sour and and sweet! very good! I wish they bottled this one!
4.2 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at City Beer. To correct prior reviewers (I think), I believe Jesse said they used Rodenbach yeast. Could be wrong. Somewhat opaque dark reddish in color with a one finger head on top. The aroma is nice, fruity and funky, with blackberry and other berry notes. The flavor is really great, with a restrained but sharp tartness that gives it a great taste without impeding drinkability. Wild and farmhouse yeasts evident, with some Brett standing out. Jammy dark fruit and blackberry are big on the flavor. Medium-bodied and crisp with a great acidity level. The best I’ve had from Almanac so far and an outstanding beer (call me a homer if you want but I thought this was excellent).
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
A - Served a cloudy reddish-pink color with a very thin layer of white head. Just a bit of lace left behind as it fades fairly quickly.
S - Aroma is funky and slightly tart. Lots of fruit and a bit of sourness mixed in as well.
T - Starts off fairly funky and tart with lots of berry and some oak. Through the middle, a touch of puckering sourness and a bit of yeast. The finish is a mix of funky flavors, some berry, and a bit of sourness that linger.
M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth and tart with a bit of a pucking mouthfeel with some acidity.
D - Very drinkable. A bit more punch and tart than the normal version. The sourness was still not overly sharp but there at a nice level.
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
I tried the sour version on tap at Shotwell’s - not sure if it’s barrel #9. A definite improvement over the normal version but it still seemed a bit muddled. More berry flavor, and it’s nice and jammy, unlike the normal. Pretty good sour notes. Less citrus. Some good musty aroma. Still a bit too much tannic neutral oak flavor. Appearance is a cloudy strawberry color with no head. Good stuff.
4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
On tap at City Beer Almanac release event. Pours dark red with a thin off-white head and a huge sour berry aroma. There is a dry sour malt flavor with lots of blackberry flavor. There is the same yeast presence as in the Summer 2010 version, as I believe Orval yeast was used for both. This is a very tasty brew made with locally and organically grown blackberries. Unfortunately, the batch was too small to allow for bottling.
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