lb4lb (1453), Austin, Texas, USA Jul 26, 2008 Bottle from Sinners club.
Pours a glowing orange color with a filmy thin white head. Smell is hugely tart and very potent and gueuze like to me, but with lots of grapefruit and a touch of well placed sweetness not usually found in other good sours. Taste is very sour and tart. Citric, lemony strongly grapefruit juice like and moderately funky with a very nice and bright fruity flavor. Quite sour and flavorful, yet still highly drinkable. Easily one of my favorite sours and lived up to the hype for me.
BDR (1903), Roseville, Minnesota, USA Oct 7, 2008 rating 1900 and sourhead rating 100. I’ve had this beer several times and it keeps getting better and better. A murky gold color with faint white head. Lemon citrus, funky horse blanket brett, and immense sourness on the aroma. Oak manages to cut through the body of this intensly sour beer. A little saison like funk in there as well. I could drink this every day. Thankfully, it’s on tap at GABF ’08 so I should get my fill for three days straight! TAR (2008), Boulder Co., Colorado, USA Oct 5, 2008 Hazy yellow. Dense white foam deposits wispy lace with each sip. Bright, soft, and musty nose of sherbet, honeyed cantaloupe, phenolic brett (horseblanket, Band-Aid), lemon cake, and a hint of iron. Carbonation is tight and fluffy on the palate. Brisk brett immediately melds with coarse horseblanket and an oaky grip. Succulent lemon and unripe peach fruitiness augment the body’s core while balancing the dryness. Attenuation is squeaky clean as is the misty dryness. Awesome medley of juicy fruity esters and feisty phenols. Peach fuzz bitterness hangs on well past the explosively fruity esters to complement the poignant yet artfully composed oaky bite. Proportionate, delightfully musty finish showcases a lively phenolic (Band-Aid) crackle entwined bright sherbet. Nicely balanced and amazingly soft. Very gueuze-like. Thanks to Crosling for sharing! Monger (474), Roscoe, Illinois, USA Oct 5, 2008 Updated: Oct 7, 2008750 ml bottle thanks to a trade with ajm. Pours a hazy light yellow color with a small white head. Aroma of fresh lemon, spices, leather and musty wood. Flavor of lemon, pine apple, green apples, oak and hay. Has a dry crisp semi sweet finish. An all around outstanding brew!
Hophead22 (258), Redlands, California, USA Oct 4, 2008 750ml bottle shared with Ben at Hangar 24, thank you so much Ben. Poured a hazy straw color, light white head. Dry aroma and and a very dry taste. Very drinkable, slight sourness. Very enjoyable. GAManiac (346), Atlanta, Georgia, USA Oct 4, 2008 Pours crystal clear and golden with a constant stream of bubbles rising to the top. The head is fluffy and white and lingers as a cap through with a little bit of lacing.
The smell has a big sour fruitiness with green apples, grapes, apricots, and tart lemons. The yeast also makes its present felt in the nose with a bit of citrus hops as well. The wood and funk are present but understated throughout.
The taste starts with the big sour kick up front with a big sweet fruitiness after that with yeast as the backbone. Very complex and tasty.
Mouthfeel is dry and crisp, like a wine, with lots of carbonation. There is a serious acidic burn in the finish that lingers for quite a while.
As with other big sours, I wouldn’t call this one exceptionally drinkable, but for the style it’s on the drinkable side of things.
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