 tytoanderso (1168), St. Louis Park, Minnesota, USA
May 9, 2008
750ml bottle. Thank you ever so much for your incredible generosity Bruce!
Insanely layered in it’s complexity. From initial nose to finish, the textures are incredible. Cellar floor and wet cedar come to the nose initially. Highly acidic without relying too much on funk. Mild horse blanket and barnyard notes come to the fore as the beer opens. Faint phenolic notes emerge the longer the beer sits and warms. The pour is a muddy bright caramel with a thin ring of a white head. Near bracing in it’s acidity. Massive tartness with a gueuze-like band aid finish. Loads of wet wood and tart grape tannin all over the palate. Slightly antiseptic and medicinal. Funky and acidic as all get out. Very tart and dry. Acidic fruit rind. Wow. Dusty cellar. Lush and creamy with spritzy, lively and not too overbearing carbonation. The finish lasts forever with notes of basement, dust, rubber and boatloads of structured tannins. One hell of a beer. Thanks again Bruce! I owe you one!
jarspag (500), San Diego, California, USA
Aug 7, 2008 750 ml bottle generously shared by Justin for the 7/18 tasting in OC. Nose of peppery spice and lemon zest... Flavor seems to be dominated by the sonambic component...very grainy, spicy, peppery, a touch of oak in the late finish. For whatever reason, this beer comes off all too harsh for me and quite unenjoyable. Definitely not in the group of better sours for me. To each his own...
RagallachMC (626), Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Aug 6, 2008 750ml bottle. Thanks to miketd for sharing. Aroma: Cherries (both fruit and pits), grapes, cheese, slight barnyard, lemon, oak, and floral. Tartness in the aroma a sign of things to come. Appearance: Golden/orange in color and slightly hazed. White head was small and foamy with good retention. Fair lacing. Flavor: Light malt sweetness gives way to funk and tart. Really tart. Lemon, orange, cherries, green grapes, slight cheese, dusty/barnyardy, oak, and floral. Really dry finish with a mineral note in the aftertaste. Palate: Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Overall: I drank this and Isabelle Proximus in the same night, and I can’t pick a favorite from the two. They’re both delicious.
sk8viking (6070), Copenhagen, Denmark
Aug 6, 2008 Bottle. A hazy amber beer with a big white head. Fruity, grape, piny and acid and sour aroma and taste. Medium body with a dry acid finish.
Brigadier (848), Chagrin Falls, Ohio, USA
Aug 5, 2008 Bottle from miketd’s tasting
Thanks to Mike for cracking this open. I was going to bring a bottle of my own until I found out he already had acquired it (as usual). Now that I’ve had a chance to try it I will be sitting on my bottle for some time. This is one of those one time releases that you should save for a special occasion. Since it is gueuze like it should be great for years to come.
Aroma / Appearance - A thin white head was all that was visible above the clear golden body. Looking just like most top notch lambics it smelled of lemon, citrus and tartness. It doesn’t need to very complex at all to convey its intention of setting the bar high. It does a fine job of conveying its acidity already.
Flavor / Palate - Lemon, oak and citrus alternate on the tip of the tongue. An acidic dry finish attacks the throat lining pushing this very near some of the most sour beers in the world. This is even better than the Isabelle Proximus though I have to confess I wouldn’t turn down either if offered them again. Consider yourself fortunate if you find this on tap around Seattle.
Beershine (1150), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Aug 4, 2008 Bottle. Rich amber hue, slight haze, enthusiastic foam. Joyous bretty aroma, filled with succulent wildflowers, seafoam, moonlight, and stars...soft, gently caressing mouthfeel. Leather and lace. Cherry pits ground up and served with laughter. Smooth, the sweetness on the sides of the tongue could smooth the pavement on the street. Endless complexity reveals itself like a poem, slowly capturing the attention at first then etching itself deeply into the soul. Fruit peels, rinds, and piths. Like capturing ancestral wisdom in a glass. Brilliance.
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