Panil Barriquée (Sour)

2005 bottle poured into large brandy snifter. Pours with a medium strong fluffy head. It slowly turns into a strong lacing that buffers the sides. Color is a murky reddish copper with a few faint gold streaks. Aroma is strong, of course sour and tarty at first then comes the fruity acidity. Nose has a sour cherries mixed with a mild sweetness to provide a bit of a balance. The aroma is almost perfectly soured, just seems to be right on the money and gloriously intricate. Also, a bit of fruit-tea aspects. Taste starts off a bit empty, get cherries but without the sweetness or the sourness. Then comes in a lactose-like aspect. After that the flavor is capped off with the sourness and some sweetness. Its good and special but I feel it has more room for flavors to emerge and come out. Basically, I want it to be more sour. Mouthfeel is a bit different. There is a light syruppy velvetty texture even though there is a strong carbonation to offset the sourness. No bitterness and no hint of alcohol.

2005 bottle sampled 2/3/07. Thanks Bill (zuchinincat). #1000! Pours a deep clear red with an off-white diminishing head. Aroma is citric, lactic, light cherry, sour milk, lightly enteric. Med. body with light CO2 for the style. The flavors are tannic, tart, almonds, vanilla, with absolutely no hops anywhere to be found. Some real pinot-like notes with a big sharo sourness that balances nicely instead of being the beer. A wonderful, unique and new example of the style.

Bottled 2006. Pours a clear dark amber with no head. Aroma of vinegar and sherry wine with some dark friut. Taste is fruity and slightly vinegary. Very thin mouthfeel. This is very refreshing and well worth the $22 I paid. The best Italy has to offer.

750ml bottle, 2006 Vintage. Purchased at The Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondio, CA. Pours a brownish yellow wiht a bubly unstable head. The nose is strong, sweet and certainly sour. The taste is bold with lots of complexity and has a lot of great flavor and charm. This is a really tasty.

Bottle. 2006 Vintage. Ruby brown beer with a tiny off-white head. Tart, oaky aroma with some fruitiness. Tart, fruity (cherry, apple, grape) flavor with oak. Very smooth with lots of fruit and great tart balance. Dry finish has you wanting more. Alcohol well hidden.

2006 vintage. Mostly brown with some red hues. Zero head. Very little signs for carbonation. Aromas of some cherry, wood, and some lactic tartness. The flavor is decidedly woody and of course quite tart. Bone dry finish. No signs of carbonations through the entire beer. This isn’t really the WOW beer that I expected. Thanks to cdog69 for the bottle.

Bottle, 2006 edition. Pours reddish brown with practically no head. Aroma of cherries , apple peel, wine and wood. More cherries and wood in the taste, nice sour characteristic, not overpowering. Slightly acidic and not much carbonation, pretty smooth. Nice fruity taste, this is enjoyable.

Pours a deep glowing red with a brown murky mist about it. Fizzy bubbles form a giant head of pink, tan and cream colored hues. Lacing is thin fading away at a good clip. Aroma is very potent with notes of wine barrels and some vanilla tinged new oak, tart cherries, a little bit of farm fresh grassiness. Orange zest and cider apples make a brief appearance. Flavor is bold and awe inspiring. Nuances of expensive Bordeaux are crushed to oblivion by massive sour cherries and a barrage of oak barrel spiciness. Vanilla and creme brulee infused with cognac follow. On the back end feather soft carbonation leaves a tingling acidity on the tongue, just a beautiful climax to a near overwhelming sip of Italian nectar. As far as complexity goes, this holds high ranks with the likes of Mouton Rothschild and small village Junmai Dai-Ginjo. Palate is embracing and riveting altogether, with tartness, suppleness and radiating flavor all forming one of the most drinkable and refreshing beverages ever to pass these lips. Finishes strong and sweet/sour, but never too cloying or dry. This is certainly more well priced and accesible than the aforementioned rare wine or sake will ever be. For that, and astonishing flavor from Italy, a nation never included on a list of top beer producing countries, I commend Panil. Awesome drink, certainly the best Flemish style sour produced. Really takes Rodenbach to the mat, in the first round. Splendid. A masterpiece.