Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 12.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Wild Ale aged in red wine and bourbon barrels. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Pilsner, Abbey, Special B and Carafa III. Adjuncts – Black Currants, Pinot Noir Grapes, Belgian Candi Syrup and Turbinado Sugar.

Brewer Description: (from website) Sinister Kid is named after the unofficial mascot of our Congress Street brewery: a long-forgotten, dismembered doll unearthed in construction rubble. We dusted off Sinister Kid and breathed new life into her, installing a new pipe leg and a wire arm. We quickly found a new use for her evil appearance: keeping an ever-present, protective watch over the first floor of our Fort Point restaurant and brewery.

This year, we’ve crafted what we consider to be our most complex variations of Sinister Kid to date. We took the base Belgian Strong Ale recipe, fermented it with our native New England yeast culture for two years in both bourbon and wine barrels, then transferred the beer to our oak foeders to condition on a variety of fruit. The six resulting blends are intricate expressions of wild yeast, time, and fruit all coming together harmoniously in the bottle.

Wild Sinister Kid: Black Currant Pinot Noir is a blend consisting of 60% bourbon barrel-aged beer and 40% wine barrel-aged beer conditioned on black currants and pinot noir grapes. Pouring an enticing garnet color, aromas of fresh-pressed grapes, mixed red berries, black currants, and a hint of herbaceousness are immediately apparent. Soft on the palate, with a medium body, Wild Sinister Kid: Black Currant Pinot Noir boasts a refined acidity that welcomes the next sip.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.3
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 5th September 2019. Poured into a Lindemans stemmed lambic teku/tulip glass.
Appearance: A dark burgundy colour with a thin purple head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Black currant, oak, mixed berries, lightly vinous, and mild vanilla.
Taste: Tart, light sour, black currant, vinous, red wine, bourbon, oak, with a slight vanilla note.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation, and a light but enjoyable booziness throughout.
Overall: Enjoyable complexity. Good balance of fruit and barrels, with the black currant complementing the wine and bourbon barrels well.