 TAR (1996), Boulder Co., Colorado, USA
May 25, 2008
Dull yellow. Large bubbles condense into a fine, persistent cap of white cream. Musty cellar and iron arouse the olfactory senses alongside notes of peach, dried pineapple, flowery hops and a distant note of bandage phenols. Fine, soft carbonation. Very soft body. Briskly sour and irony from the outset, and deeply quenching due to the bright and crisp acids. Delicately flavored bandage-phenols gently scrub the palate but are soon swept by the wayside as the center becomes slightly flabby. Wavering acidity puckers the palate one moment before soon dropping off as it struggles to fully latch onto the extremely soft body. Ample yet well-composed fruitiness reminiscent of lemons and unripe peaches enhances the acidity while working to offset some of the dryness. Deeply buried malts are well-attenuated yet retain some of their bounciness as they sparkle in the background while imparting a vividly defined straw flavor which beautifully anchors the yeast derived acids. Gritty iron gently scratches the throat at the swallow. Finishes tropical-fruit laden with glimpses of mango, pineapple, and unripe banana along with a trailing of salt, vanilla-accented yeast and strawlike malts which linger. This is certainly headed in the right direction, but it’s pretty straightforward right now. While I do enjoy the softness, the biggest detraction is the slight limpness.
shintriad (680), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sep 4, 2008 I know full well that Flemish sours are a challenging style to get into, so I’m a long way from giving this kind of beer my highest ratings. That said, the hazy, pale gold appearance with hints of lacing are nice, and the nose is pleasantly sour with farm notes. The puckeringly sour taste is roughly on par with most Baco Noirs: intense with a short, very dry, juicy finish, a bit like like pomegranate concentrate. Even a hint of pineapple in the finish. Smooth, almost flat and thick body. But it just tastes too much like stomach acid to be enjoyable to me, even if that is the point. My apologies to the Flemish Sour diehards are there, but I just can’t enjoy this.
pepsican (727), the beer wastelands of, Iowa, USA
Sep 4, 2008 gold pour with a nice white head. Aroma is heavy lemon tartness and a bit of white wine. More lemon goodness in the flavor along with grape skin, mild brett funk, and a touch of hay. Tart acidic finish, just a tad watery.
PilsnerPeter (1408), Flushing, New York, USA
Sep 2, 2008 Bottle: (Thanks kosko20!) Pours a hazy golden with a dense white film of head. Has a crisp fruity nose of sour apple skins, mild white wine, green grapes and a touch of leather/cherry-pit brett character. Has a light and fluffy body. Lemony tartness dominate the fore of the flavor, lightly acidic. The tartness fades fairly quickly into some musty Belgian yeast character and mild lactic notes. The flavor are somewhat simple, and brief. Not as complex as many good examples, but still decent.
merlin48 (349), Henderson, Kentucky, USA
Aug 29, 2008 11.2 oz bottle pours a hazy apricot hued body with a tiny white head that quickly falls. Very little lacing but the body exhibits a lot of active carbonation. Subtle aroma has white grape skins and a hint of earthy moist oak. Sour and tart, almost like a geuze. Low carbonation. Taste has some fruity green apple and plenty of tannins. Not a lot of funkiness here. This one is quite drinkable and tasty but needs some aging for the wild yeasts to work their magic.
KieferUGA (317), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Aug 25, 2008 11.2 oz. bottle. Clear, light golden color. Thin, bubbly white head. Aroma of tart citrus fruit and some earthy elements. Clean, fresh, dry mouthfeel. Carbonation is just right. Sour flavor is nicely balanced with a spicy kick. Refreshing finish with some funky elements.
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