De Proef Flemish Primitive

Yellow, nice white head. Fruity, spicy aroma. I get a vaguley Orval-like note, then a hint of Band-Aid brand adhesive strips. It was difficult for me to try to seperate out all of the flavors - some apple and pear, and some herbal notes, too. Very rustic. This was the one with the bottom label (at left) Pin head? Is that it?

750ml $10.99 Sam’s Downers Grove Spoonwhacker is from De Proef’s Flemish Primitive Wild Ale Series. Pours golden with massive streams of carbonation rushing to the surface helping keep the head in place. A two fingercreamy white head formed on the pour and leaves sheet lacing down the glass as the beer disappears. Really a good looking brew. This beer has some great funk to it. I’ll star out easy with the pale malts floating through in the background along with a spicy hitof booze. Then comes the funk. Wet oak and a field full of wildflowers that choke me up. There’s a touch of candi sugar like sweetness in there as well. Every now and then I even pulll out tart green apples and bubblegum. An ever evolving wild ale. Not as much of the wildflower/field like funkiness in the flavor. Starts off a bit musty and moves quickly into a candi sugar sweetness and tart green apples. Mid-palate brings a quick flash of spicy alcohol and some of that funkiness comes on the backend. The swallow brings notes of hay, dandelions and mild hints of musty wood. Complex flavorful ale. Body is on the lighter side of medium (at this point I’m pretty sure candi sugar was used in the brewing process). Hefty carbonation leads to a creamy feel on the swallow and an airiness up front. Tickles the tongue and finishes slightly dry. After every sip I find myself immediately wanting to take another. I have to slow myself down. The light body and dry finish eaves you wanting more. My first wild ale from De Proef and if this is a sign of the quality of this series I’m not going to hesitate picking up the others whenever I see them. 10/5/07

Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale 750ml bottle. Amber colored with a light beige head that dissippates quickly into a thin covering of foam. Aroma is a big hit of Brett, with kumquat, apricot, apples and toffee all showing up in the aroma. Flavor is not as funky or sour as I expected - the Brett is there, but the flavor sort of get muddy in the middle, with too much sweetness. Mild oak flavors, as well as rotten apple notes that detract from the flavor a bit. Decent mouthfeel, but the flavor thins out significantly in the finish.

Very appealing horse blanket aroma. Good flavor balance...not too funky...but funky would be good too for a Flemish beer.

Demon Fish. Pours a clear straw gold with a white head. Mild nose with slight fruit qualities. The yeast is not powerfully present, but it does give a very unusual and funky scent. Flavor is extremely odd and unique. For those reasons I give it the score I do. Wild ale is definitely a good description to throw on the label. At first there seems to be a slight fruity flavor and then the yeast kicks in and gives you all sorts of funky flavors you could spend hours trying to dissect. At one point I thought to myself that it tasted like dried fish bones on the tail end, but that was only at the start. Demon Fish is another appropriate description, I thought. Feel is decent on the bubble and almost has a thick champagne texture to it. It’s definitely drinkable, but could definitely end up being one of the oddest beers you could ever have. Worth trying for the experience alone, but for me, it wouldn’t be one to go back to since it is so extremely unique and unusual.

[bottle, "spoon whacker"] Very clear golden color, with plenty of white lacing. The aroma is really nice.. plenty of funky brett and green apple, some light pepper. Flavors are really interesting. Spicy, saison-ish yeast, some fruit, and plenty of bretty funk. Alcohol content is very well hidden. Finishes quite dry, highlighting the bitterness and funk once again.

Peppery, peaty, and dry like an Orval. An astringent beer that is pleasant to drink. Have only sampled under its Reinaert Flemish Wild Ale moniker.

Got a bottle of the Surly Bird. Pours an ultra cloudy mustard yellow with a frothy, sudsy head that retains well and laces. The aroma at first was raspberry tartness and a bit of clove and corriander. As it warmed, the aroma was like wet hay, which to me was deliciously filthy. This beer’s got some seriously funky hops. The flavour was tart, bittersweet, and drying in the finish with bitter hops. Definitely smells different that it tastes. Barnyard, grape, yeast, sweet citrus and a peppery finish. Long palate duration. This stuff rocks. A nice sipper to drink and discuss with good company.