Storm Cassis Lambic

Formerly brewed at Storm Brewing Ltd (BC)
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Vancouver, Canada

Serve in Flute, Tumbler

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A: The beer pours a rather hazy amber color with almost no head. S: Just smells like vinegar. To make things better, tons of acetone. This is just flat out not very good. On top of that, for a black currant lambic, not much fruit. T: The flavor is at least mildly fruity, but it is also marred by the same acetone and vinegar characteristics that the nose was. Just an awful, harsh flavor. M: Medium in body with low carbonation. O: This was an atrocity. Not sure why I even ordered this.

A Sim rate (tap at Churchills): Aww...44 percentile. Must be hard in the category "lambic - fruit". But it’s a good beer. Sweet and sour. Bitter in the finish. Really, would expect more from something aged for 12 years labelled as lambic. Metallic, but sourness kicks it through. OK, but would take a gueuze any day.

Draught @ St. Augustine’s, Vancouver, BC

Tap list says Storm Insane 12 Year Black Currant Lambic - Pours orange with a small head. Aroma has hints of sour fruits and maple. Taste is quite sour and a bit sweet with notes of fruits. Sticky, sour finish. Surprisingly good, actually tastes somewhat like a real lambic, although a bit sweeter.

On tap at Churchills. I am sure this needs to be merged with the Cassis Lambic (Cassis=Black Currant, and from reading the other ratings, this sounds like the same beer). Oh, and it is Black Currant, not "Current". Pours with a hazy amber-bronze with an off-white head. Aroma is strongly acetic, vanilla, woody, woodsie, musty, mead, currant, and very complex. Taste is HUGELY ACETIC, sour, aggressive, throat rape, vinegar, berries, acid burn. This is probably the most acidic beer that I have ever had! Dry, burn, light bubbles. Intense!

UPDATED: OCT 11, 2010 Cask at Churchill’s. Murky reddish brown pour, light tan head. Vinegar, very sour, acidic, some currant and cherry. It really bites the palate.

On tap at Chruchill’s Sour Fest. Nose was fairly tainted with acedal acitate, taste is very vinegary, little currant flavor showing through, fairly bad.

Draught at St. Augustine’s, as Storm James’ Insane 12 Year Old Lambic
Dark amber color, almost hazy; creamy head. Sour aroma, some acetone, glue, malt, earthy, aggressive. But nothing compared to the aggressiveness of the flavor, sharply acidic, full of acetone, too chemical. Sharp but short final, a bit astringent. Nice try, not bad, but excessive to me.

I’m posting the rating here, because this is technically what I had - though the version I had (at the Alibi Room in Vancouver, BC) was labeled "James’s INSANE 12-year aged blackcurrant lambic." The barkeep told me that James (of Storm Brewing) had found a few casks of this stuff sitting at the back of his cellar, not having even realized they were there. Some investigation revealed that this had been sitting on oak for 12 years, and damn did age do this baby good.

Poured a reddish bronze with a small, off-white head. Whatever blackcurrants used to be in here have faded to the background, and this now resembles a flemish red. It might as well be made by Rodenbach - this is like the Grand Cru on steroids. I think it’s the best fruit lambic I’ve ever had. Super acidic (Nigel wasn’t kidding), but not too much to handle. Fruit, cider, and a bit of brown sugar, with some serious pucker. Perfect velvety mouthfeel - this was just superb. I’m writing a letter.

Hazy redish amber colour with thin off white head. Sour acidic nose. Bitter sour acidic taste with lingering sour finish. This seems more like a flemish sour than a lambic.

GCBF. Pour a light reddish brown. Aromas of vinegar, wood almost like a flemmish sour. The taste started off with some woody notes and funkiness and then a big hit of sour, followed by a lingering funkiness. The sour was far to much for me.