Bullfrog Beekeeper

Formerly brewed at Bullfrog Brewery
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Williamsport, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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UPDATED: MAR 31, 2009 750ml bottle from the brewery. Pours a muddy purplish brown color, there’s yeast sediment at the bottle, lumpy and gross looking, but a controlled pour gives you a pleasant looking brown/purple body with a pink-tinted but thin and small head. First whiff is prickly, dry wood tannins, the Cabernet is instantly identifiable, and the wood and wine character is downright divine. Some prickly and tart notes hit the nose, the bugs are plainly evident and doing their work, leaving an acidic sharpness covering the grape and wood tannins in the nose, it’s really, really wonderful to smell. First taste, the first impression is the prickly but light acidity, the rich flavors of stemmy and pitty red grapes, a touch of peppery spice, a prickling acidity, never too heavy, always complimentary. As good as it is up to this point, there does seem to be a serious issue with the body. It falls somewhat flabby across the middle, and while the dryness that develops is really nice, the thinness and spritziness on the tongue as the body falls apart like lemon soda is disappointing. Not a big enough issue to ruin the experience, but after having this bottle followed by a Cuvee de Castleton, I’ve figured out that these beers require chilling, and do not present as well when opened at or just below cellar temperatures. The third bottle I’ve had (Aug 30, 2008) was the best so far, becoming more sour, more rounded. Good stuff. Upped rating from 4.0 to 4.3.

Very well carbonated, it even starts to foam over after I let it sit for a little too long. A careful pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a four-finger thick, light tan colored head. The head leaves some spotty lacing as it recedes and also creates a bit of a varied, structural surface as it slowly falls. The beer is a murky, dark plum color (a mix of purple tinged amber notes) that shows a deep haze and a reddish hue when held up to the light. The aroma is definitely tart as this is noticeable even as I am pouring the beer. A deeper inspection yields wine like notes of soft oak, berry-like fruit notes and funky Brettanomyces character. Barnyard funk and sweat-dried horse-blanket notes abound. The funk mixes nicely with spicy wood notes a hint of buttery oak and a sort of peppery malt character. The funk becomes the most noticeable part of the aroma, but underneath it are notes of fruity cider and spicy pepper aromas. The oak becomes more noticeable after a bit with more buttery notes and a nice spicy oak character, both at times rivaling the funk.

Fairly thick bodied still, almost creamy except for the peppery carbonation and amply spicy oak character that really offsets the almost medium mouthfeel. Tart tasting up front, though not aggressively so, this accents wine-like berry notes that really stick to the palate. Touches of warming, even hot alcohol comes out at times; this is accentuated by lots of spicy oak notes and the pepper fermentation / carbonation character. Musty, phenolic soaked cotton balls, methanol and other funky notes abound. A very spicy brew, the oak and fermentation character really accentuates this quite a bit.

Amazingly wine-like in many ways; the oak is perhaps a little too much, but this, coupled with the big, jam-like, berry flavors makes for quite an interesting, wine-like brew. Of course this is not all that is going on as the tartness and funk is a really nice component as well. Not as complex as I look for in my funky brews; really it is the oak that might get in the way of this. This is still a very good beer and is quite tasty, but the oak is just a touch too much here for this to achieve greatness in my mind. Still I find it very easy to finish this 750ml bottle of beer, despite the obvious alcohol effect; this last was huge as this beer is far stronger than I was expecting it to be.

UPDATED: APR 1, 2009 750ml bottle thanks to jason....poured a dark murky caramel brown with a soapy white head that accumulated at the edges of the glass..... nose had lots of tart vinegar and red wine with a soft caramel malt undertone..... winey and vinous flavor along with a nice tart acidity that lingers on the tongue. malts take a backseat to the cabernet qualtites of the brew.....this was a really tasty treat but i’m wondering how much of the base beer was lost with all the wine attributes taking hold and never really letting go. very tasty nonetheless.

Shared by Pantanap at Kanarama. Poured a red brown color. Aroma was red fruit, touch of funk. Taste was funky, rounded red fruity, slight tannic bitterness, spritzy mouthfeel and nice wine notes that last after the finish. I really enjoyed this one. This is one heck of a full flavored saison.

Oh yea first rating. I thought this beer was pretty solid. Dark color definately from the barrels. Crazy mouthfeel. Heavy cabernet flavor followed by sourness and funk. Dry finish. I enjoyed this one.