Category Archives: Wild Ale

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Wild Ale, Yardley Brothers Brewing

Yardley Brothers BUGS: Bourbon Marmalade Wheat Sour

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Brewery: Yardley Brothers Brewing
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 7%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2020 vintage, limited release

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Barrel-aged series. Bourbon Marmalade Wheat Sour aged in oak bourbon barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.37
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 2020 vintage, bottle 581 of 1000. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear copper colour, with a one finger off white head that dissipates fairly quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving some decent lacing.
Aroma: Nice restrained bourbon, oak, vanilla, marmalade, honey, yuzu, almost candy like.
Taste: Sweet, whiskey sour, citrus zest, orange, pineapple, yuzu, lime, wheat, oak, with light bourbon notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: It reminds me of one of my favourite cocktails, the whiskey sour, so it was definitely enjoyable and easy to drink for me.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Jelly King Pineapple Tangerine Grapefruit

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-hopped sour ale w/ fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Jelly King is a juicy dry hopped sour with punchy hop aromatics and tart, tropical, fruity flavours. To this batch we added a healthy dose of pineapple, tangerine and grapefruit for exponential fruit enjoyment.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.28
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 500ml bottle, bottled on 1st March 2021, and poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sweet hard candy, citrus cordial, pineapple, grapefruit and tangerine.
Taste: Sour, sweet and bitter, sour gummy candy, pineapple, grapefruit, tangerine, and citrus pith.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I enjoyed this. It was like drinking liquid candy. Good easy drinking flavours and very refreshing.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Jelly King Plum Cherry

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-hopped sour ale w/ fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Jelly King is a juicy dry hopped sour with punchy hop aromatics and tart, tropical, fruity flavours. To this batch we added a healthy dose of plum and cherry for exponential fruit enjoyment.

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

Intro: A 500ml bottle, bottled on 25th February 2021, and poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy darkish maroon colour with a slight purple tint, and a just over two finger beige pinkish head that had pretty good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet cough medicine cherry, spritzy ginger ale, and notes of lemon zest.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, moderately sweet, plum, cherry, with a touch of pink guava and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I really enjoyed the aroma and this fruity flavour combination worked for me. A good easy drinking variety of Jelly King.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Bellwoods Brewery, Canada, Wild Ale

Bellwoods Jelly King Raspberry & Blackberry

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Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Country: Canada
ABV: 5.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Dry-hopped sour ale w/ fruit

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Jelly King is a juicy dry hopped sour with punchy hop aromatics and tart, tropical, fruity flavours. To this batch we added a healthy dose of raspberry and blackberry for exponential fruit enjoyment.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 500ml bottle, bottled on 17th February 2021, and poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy cross between beetroot and merlot reddish purple colour, with a two finger pinkish head that had decent retention, but left only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Jammy fruity mixed berries, especially raspberry, sparkling tangy lemon zest, with light notes of yoghurt and wheat.
Taste: Sour, tart, moderately jammy, mixed dark berries, raspberry, blackberry, lemon zest, with light bready notes in the background.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: I’m not sure how much of the dry hop came through with the jammy fruit representing itself strongly, but this same jammy fruitiness was also what made it thoroughly enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Burning Sky Brewery, England, Wild Ale

Burning Sky Elderberry Monolith

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Brewery: Burning Sky Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 9.7%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our wild black beer spent 18 months in oak before being aged for a further 6 months on local elderberries. The result is reminiscent of a deep, earthy Burgundy.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 15th February 2021, and with a best before date of 15th February 2031. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice deep dark purple colour with a two finger purple head that had good retention and left some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark berries, raisin, earthy, oak, woody.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, dark berries, blackberry, blackcurrant, raisin, earthy, woody, oak, a touch of chocolate, with red wine vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’m not sure what elderberries tastes like, but there’s lots of good dark berry flavours here. There’s a good balance of fruit, dark malt, earthy, woody and vinous that gives it good complexity, and the ABV is also well hidden, such that you don’t notice it at all.