Panil Barriquée (Sour)

Bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar: Hazy redish amber color with just a wisp of foam. Aroma is wild berries, light red wine vinegar and a little oak. Flavor follows aroma with berries, black cherry, a light acidity, a touch of red wine, a hint of wood and a light dry finish. Light bodied and thin with little carbonation. Pricey.

Bottled in 2005 (750ml). Pours a hazy, very nice dark plum color, with a small head that fades away immediately. There’s a small ring that leaves behind a minimal lace. If it wasn’t for the color of this, it wouldn’t be that much to look at. On the second pour, which was a lot more aggressive, I was able to get a quarter inch head that disappeared just as quickly. Smell; sour apples, tart cherries, oak and mildly alcoholic. Some spices are present, such as cinnamon and pepper. Taste; as with the aroma lots of sour apples and tart cherries. The oak barrel flavor is very good, and there’s a definite acidic quality. There’s a touch of vinegar that kind of sits in the background, and this finishes with some mild spices and just a touch nutty. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with very little carbonation. As far as drinkability goes, I don’t think that I’ve ever come cross a beer as drinkable as this one. I love tart flavors, and this style is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and so far this is the best I’ve yet had.

Had this after going to ashleys so hopefully my palate wasnt deceiving me. It was great anyways. It had a real nice not over the top sourness to it that was actually balanced very well with oak and maltiness. Had some oakiness coming through also. Great beer.

Love that sour cherry woody aroma. No head. The taste is nice. It has some sourness throughout but an indistinct flavor. A nice woody character that sticks to the gums. Pretty good, but I think there are better ones out there.

Bottle from Blue Max. Pours orangeish, magenta in color. Plenty of foam subsides into a thin but lasting film. Very sour aroma of some lemon and bread dough. Some sesame and orangey zest, a bit like asian sweetbread. The brilliant scent is followed by a wooded flavor like something ciphoned from an ancient, resilient alpine tree. Sour, bright and proud. Tastes of lime, a touch of bitter chocolate, vinegar, and some of that cognac barrel in the finish. Wonderful, unique mouthfeel is deliberately both tart and dry. Subtley expands in depth as it breathes...becoming an artwork that is both raw and refined by its end.

Split a 2005 bottle with my cousin on 12/30. Poured brown amber, with a woody/cork aroma. Oaky and sour as expected for the style. It was a bit more subdued than i expected, but delicious nonetheless.

Bottled (Got it via trade with Sliffy. Thanks a million) Amber coloured. Unclear. Dense light brown head. Earthy, light sour vinegarlike aroma. A bit like a gueuze, but definately not as sharp and clean. Flavour has chocolate, earthnotes and fruitnotes. Very complex and challenging. Still a bit bland compared to other speciments of the style like Duchess and Rodenback. Medium bodied. Has a nice sweetish sourness in the end. Very nice and refreshing brew, that I think lack a bit in powerness.

My 500th Rating! 2005 bottle that made only a slight noise when opened. Smells of oak and malt. Great looking beer that looked like red wine with slight carbonation and a huge creamy head that had mellowed out but stayed making this a beautiful combination in my tulip glass. Flavor was good when opened, but after some time to warm this ale really develops. The flavor smooths out and leaves a nice aftertaste. Not too heavy or thin it flows well onto the tongue. I enjoyed every bit of this one, especially with cheese and some dark chocolate but it was great on it’s own. Cheers!