De Proef Flemish Primitive

Cloudy orange, good head, moderate lacing. Nose of yeast, grass, apples, and slight funk. Taste is sweet and citrus at the same time. I think mine must have been one of the later editions, because it was most definitely well hopped. It was described as "number 5" which probably means demon fish.

Hazy orange in color with a medium off white head that dissipates, some floaters. Aroma: caramel, funk, some sour fruit- apples and light citrus. Taste is moderately funky with barnyard, a touch of sweaty socks and cheese, a decent amount of caramel sweetness, and a lightly hoppy bitter finish.

Rat Rider. Pours a hazy golden orange with particles. A thin head that did leave some lacing. Lots of bread and malt in the nose. Heavy in the flavor as well with a slight spicyness and long soft sour and peppery ending. Med body, lively carb, wet texture, and dry feel. Interesting and different with depth in flavor.

Bottle, Reinaert label, from Whole Foods Market Charlottesville. Hazy orange with small black particles and a thin head. Aroma is full of funkiness with some stone fruit, apple and caramel notes. Funkiness is present in the taste, but to a much smaller degree. Caramel and fruity notes are also present in the taste. Thick texture, but also a little bit of a papery feel (not oxidation).

750 ml. bottle. Cloudy gold to amber color with a frothy white head. Funky, generally sour aroma, with bready, slightly sweet malts, floral and herbal notes and a mineral edge. Slightly sweet biscuity flavor tempered by a musty, funky brett leatheriness, with citrus and herbal, even sprucey points. Fine carbonation in a smooth body. Nice balance of sweetness and funkiness.

Aromas of funky wild yeast, some lemon, apples, softer fruits like peaches, apricots, and maybe some yogurt? I like the aroma. Pours a hazy orange brown with a nice thin creamy head. Subtle funk, light fruity bread, a little alcohol, and some more funk. Pretty interesting. A little noticeable warmth in the finish. Some lingering funk that is a touch tart.

Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale. Pours a hazy golden-brown with a fizzy head. The aroma is full of grass and yeast. The flavor is incredibly yeasty, with lots of spice. In the middle, some sweetness peeks through, but for the most part it’s a thoroughly tart and peppery experience. Very dry. A little too dry for my taste, actually. A cool, interesting beer, but not really my thing. If you like the stranger side of beers, you should give this one a shot, it might be your thing.

Surly Bird, aged over 3 years. Courtesy cmillward. Pours a downright cloudy, dusky orange color with a consistent head off off-white foam. The aroma is as strange as they come. I got everything from faded, dusty hops to stewed tomatoes, dry, semi-sweet fruits, and some briny saltiness. The flavor is equally perplexing and similarly comprised, though the saltiness in the nose is lost on the palate. Medium-plus body with light carbonation. Alcohol is well hidden. This is truly a one of a kind beer, its closest cousins being some of the funky, new-school spice/herb/vegetables coming out of Italy. Strange, and ultimately not for my palate.