Bluegrass Nut Brown Lambic

Brewed by Bluegrass Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Louisville, Kentucky USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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March 2009 Bottle Date; Sampled May 2009
This beer needs a vigorous pour to produce a two-finger thick, light tan colored head in my 25cl tulip glass. Despite this, the head is quite persistent and even leaves some spotty lacing on the sides of my glass. The beer is a red amber color that might look brown if the room wasn’t fully lit. When held up to the light the beer shows a lightly hazed, full copper tinged, amber color. The aroma is definitely tart with a well noticed lactic character. Other funky note of musty, damp cobweb-like character, some light earthy pepper, as well as some acetic acid notes that add a fruity vinegar like note. It took a while to realize what an unrecognizable note here in the nose was, but it is the crystal malt character that is so rarely evident, or even used in Sour beers; this has a musty caramelized character along with a touch of toasty grain and perhaps even some nutty malt notes. The malt is just a bit weird (definitely quite different than the malt noticeable in the Flemish takes on a soured beer), but light enough that it is not quite a distraction. As the beer warms more of the acetic acid is noticeable in the aroma.

The beer is nicely tart tasting; it is definitely lactic up front, but finishes with a biting sourness that is acetic in character. This vinegar note accentuates a grape-like fruitiness. There is a slickness to the texture that many a sour beer has, the carbonation provides a fizziness that nicely offsets this, but it is still not as drinkable as I in a Lambic (if not for the label though I wouldn’t even have this comparison in mind). There is a spiciness that is characteristic of oak and perhaps a touch of a tannic bite towards the finish that subtly influences the flavor profile. The general peppery spiciness is right behind the tart / sour flavors in its intensity. While the tart / sour is the leading note here it is not aggressive (assuming of course that you like a bit of acetic acid in your sours. This is definitely far more acetic than any modern Lambic producer would find acceptable though; this beer reminds me of more of the Flemish sours in that respect. The malt is again pretty noticeable here, though it is only lightly so; hints of toasted grain in the finish and a touch of caramelized crystal malt character in the middle are noticeable.

The beer ends up being quite clear as it warms and the chill haze disappears, this brings out a nice copper color to the beer; this last has me wondering what sort of Nut Brown ale was the base beer (perhaps the beer lost a lot of color during the extended “wild” fermentation). This beer has definitely been “mis-labeled” as a Lambic (even an interpretation of one is a stretch), in the sense that this has a lot more in common with Flemish Reds that are acetic and malty; I could perhaps understand this if the brewer chose to do this based on the perceived beer sophistication of their local clientele, but I still think it wouldn’t be the best thing to do, especially given the modern US beer climate. This beer is quite interesting, tasty even, but I am not sure I would want to finish an entire bottle by myself.

Hazy golden with a lasting off-white head. Aroma of acetone, spice, malt, funk and milk chocolate. Dry and tart flavour with vinegar, grapefruit juice, some pepper and other spices. Complex but ruined a bit by the vinegar

Bottle @ Papsø-Grand-Tasting, September 2010. Pours cloudy golden with a small creamy white head and lacings. Acetone and Heinz ketchup all over this one. Flavor adds brett . . . and acetone. Tart and harsh Tomato sour.

Bottle at Papsø’s - Thanks. Clear golden - white head. Cheese, heinz ketchup, burning sharpness, high sourness, vinegar, light roasted, notes, a bit messy - too much !!

Bottle 750ml.

Clear light medium orange color with a small, fizzy, fair lacing, mostly diminishing, white to off-white head. Aroma is moderate malty, nutty, moderate to heavy yeasty, barnyard, cheese - acidic toes, wood, vinegar - sauerkraut, acettone. Flavor is moderate to light heavy sweet and acidic with a average to long duration, sauerkraut, dry dry, ketchup notes. Body is medium, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. [20100912]

Bottle at Papsø. Clear orange coloured with a medium sized off-white head. Fruity and light acidic aroma with notes of cheese and acetone. Acidic flavour of red wine and oak. Tart finish.

Cloudy golden with a medium off white head. Aroma had lacto, Heinz ketchup, brett and barnyard. Sour flavor with loads of lacto, brett, vinegar, barnyard, wood, ketchup, chease, hay and sour apples. Finished seriously sour.

Bottled. A hazy golden beer with with a thin white head. The aroma has notes of wood, lacto, brettanomyces, malt, alcohol, and over ripe fruits. The flavor is sour with notes of lacto, brettanomyces, malt, wood, and straw, leading to a very tart finish.

75 cL bottle. Pours hazy orange with a small off-white head. Aroma is acidic, malty, acetone and slight chemical. Acetone and acidic. Sharp flemish red sourness with a distinct acetone sharpness. Ends sharp acidic and acetone. Not my thing.

clear orange, smooth offwhite head. dry tart aroma, cheese, booze. flavor is very dry tart, very sour, faint nailpolish, pretty extreme sour, not sure if i like the flavors besides the tartness and sourness. ends nicely tart and sour.

Bottle 75 cl. Courtesy of KimJohansen. Pours deep golden with a slight haze and a small and lacing off-white head. The nose is odd and unclean, pointing in many directions. Medium body, sweet fruit and caramel with a massive acetone throat burn. Ends very dry. 120910