 ClarkVV (3550), Allston, Massachusetts, USA
Feb 3, 2005 Updated: Feb 15, 2006
<b>2003 Silver Foil</b> Sampled Feb ’05. Thanks to who else, Eyedrinkale.<br />Fantastic pour and aroma, all that you would expect from a top notch Flemish sour. Bright, yet deep, cherry-mahogany brown, hazy and thick, with highlights running the spectrum from light yellow to deep burgundy-brown. Small light beige colored head and an aroma that is near perfect in my books. <br />Fresh squeezed tart cherry juice mixes perfectly and stunningly with ample funky Brett notes. Sour oak hides in the background with a touch of candi sugar-like residual sweetness. Powerful and unrelenting, I can smell this small sample as strong as ever from the first sip to the last drop.<br />Flavor begins with tart Brett notes, sour and fruity, with plenty of acidity nipping at the palate. Cherries, light brown malts and a touch of earthy/wood-like notes. My only complaints come from the finish. Rastacouere calls it "sticky" but it is more than the mouthfeel that irks me. It has a bit of a stale or overly dry, nutty, lightly astringent (though not bitter, just bland and drying) note. My best guess would be that there was a large amount of yeast in my sample, as I do belive I got a pour from towards the end of the bottle. Won’t hold it against the beer as the rest is done spectacularly. <br />Perfect, light and tingly carbonation, with a soothing, oily texture. Instantly one of my new favorites. It’s like everything that is good about beer mixed with everything good about wine. 10/5/9/4/18<br /><b>Black label bottle</b> consumed on 7/3/2005. Fine bubbles create a lasting, light-tan head, quite dense and very large. Deep, deep mahogany colored body is well-unfiltered. Plenty of lacing coats the glass. Smells of oak, cherry, chocolate. Dry, lightly sharp oak tones challenge the nostrils. Light hints of brett in the background create a pleasing interest. Bits of balsamic vinegar in the nose as well. Flavor begins, up front, with a big complex burst of raspberries, cherries, chocolate liqueur and whiskey. Sharp and highly tannic. Mouthfeel has low, tingly carbonation with some wateriness. Quite acidic. Tastes like a hint of cabernet when chilled, but after it warms and breathes, the whiskey takes over in the nose and flavor, leaving a burning, acidic finish. Some alcohol and light cocoa beans, with light earth tones. Too much whiskey for me, though. I’ll gladly take the older vintages. 9/5/8/3/15<br /><br /><b>2003 Red Foil from the generous JCW</b> Shared with SuIIy on 2/9/06. Pretty much pure perfection in a bottle. Hard yet simple to describe. Thick cherries, wonderfully balancing brett, vinegar, sweet chocolate malts, drying oak. Perfect mouthfeel, finely bubbled, tight carbonation, strong aroma, lacing, great retention on head, no alcohol apparency. Get where it’s going? 5.0
Schultsc (435), Henderson, Nevada, USA
Dec 1, 2008 2008 375 ml cork-finished bollte. Pours a dark mahogany brown with ruby red highlights. No head at first from a soft pour, but a thin tan head forms when swirled. The aroma is full of lovely cherry notes--dried cherry and concentrated cherry essence. Following this is a hint of light sourness over a subtle malt base. The flavor is full of clear tartness--both from fermentation and the cherry addition. A malt foundational structure is there but is very well integrated along with a significant yet well balanced alcohol characteristic. The barrel aging is quite evident as well which contributes a substantial amount of character in the form of woodiness and some slight pleasant oxidative elements. The body, for containing 11% alcohol, is completely smooth and fully integrated, and leaves a long, lasting impression in the finish both in the mouth and soft palate.
luttonm (96), Seattle, Washington, USA
Nov 29, 2008 small ’08 bottle, from a trade. Rustic brown pour.. rich w/ lots of sediment (cherry skin? probably just yeast).. probably because of a rough car ride just before opening. Fragrant, sour-funk nose that does remind of the Giradin. small tan head. rich, funky taste that has some off-brett sweet sour. depth of the body definitely reminded me of the LA angel’s share ... this definitely tastes like a PP/LA beer, which is a wonderful signature. Cherries come through quite a bit (right up there with the red-wine grapes) with a nice sour-cherry on the lips. Good oakiness but not so much bourbon (which is alright by me). hides abv really well. Interesting, worth a taste (might be ’nothing like it’ as they say) but not transcendent as far as I’m concerned.
trevor211 (158), Seattle, Washington, USA
Nov 29, 2008 Thanks to luttonm for sharing a bottle. Pours a murky brown with very little head, and a *ton* of sediment - what looks like cherry peels. The room is immediately permeated with the smell of cherries when the cork is popped. The aroma is a cherry-infused tart citrus (lemon, with a bit of funk) - reminiscent of the Girardin gueuze. Tastes of a great old cabernet sauvignon - very, very musty - notes of old oak shine, and it tastes 10 years older than it is. Still, it has some bright notes like those of a champagne, but one made with red-wine grapes. It isn’t utterly fantastic, but it’s *very* good, and carries a wonderful novelty. I adore the musty flavor, which lingers forever.
LtDan (106), Greater Los Angeles Area, California, USA
Nov 28, 2008 The Lost Abbey - Cuvee de Tomme, Vintage 2008. 12.7 oz bottle poured into my New Belgium glass. 11% abv. Served at room temperature.
Appearance: Dark brown with a pinstripe ring of tan suds.
Aroma: Sour cherries, sour grapes, oak, wine cork, and funky goodness.
Taste: Red wine, funky sourness (The Brett?). After a bit, you can really taste the wood of the barrel.
Mouthfeel: Juicy.
Overall: A very nice sour beer, but I was in search of something that I didn’t find. Hasn’t changed much with 6 months of age on it.
rederic (1513), montréal, Quebec, Canada
Nov 27, 2008 Sampled more than one time at GABF 08, cloudy brown red hue, with a beige head, but falling quickly, yeasty, funky, toasty malt, dried caramelized fruity nose of raisins, prunes, with some nice sour red cherries, with some wet oaky, winey, musty accents, some faint bourbon vanilla liquorish notes in the aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a funky, sour, fruity character of dark dried raisins, dates, with a winey, musty red cherry flavor, with some hints toffee, caramelized malt sweetness, and some oak vanilla bourbon accents, leading towards a malty, fruity cherry sourness finish.
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