Category Archives: Wild Ale

4 - Good (buy), Australia, Beer Reviews, Wild Ale, Wildflower Brewing & Blending

Wildflower Gold

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Brewery: Wildflower Brewing & Blending
Country: Australia
ABV: 5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Australian Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from website) Gold is a blended, barrel aged Australian Wild Ale. Gold Blend #27 is a blend of 6 barrels – 1705 (15 month old Gold), 1746 (4 month old Gold), 1769 (6 month old Gold), 1813 (13 month old Gold), 1821 (11 month old Gold), 1836 (12 month old Gold).

Intense nose – ripe citrus (Meyer lemon), slate and oak melded together. Full and well structured palate. Citrus dominant but supported with dark earthy spice, cellar funk and energetic acidity. Pops of stone fruit and vanilla. Incredibly long and persistent. A standout blend of our Gold.

The base beer is brewed entirely with New South Wales cereals: Single Origin (S.O.) Riverina NSW grown Schooner ale malt and Coleambally NSW grown organic Red raw wheat thanks to Voyager Malt & Chris and Sam Greenwood. It is made with filtered Sydney water and Motueka (NZ) and Saaz (CZ) hops. Finally, it was fermented with our house culture: brewers yeast, foraged wild yeast and naturally occurring souring bacteria native to New South Wales. It was bottled on 26 February 2020 and naturally conditioned through refermentation for 23 weeks. At bottling it was 5.0% ABV, 25 IBU and 1°P (FG = 1.004 SG).

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.45
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 750ml bottle, blend #27, bottled in February 2020, and with a best before date of February 2025. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen Zenne glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Funky, leather, oak, lemon zest, white grape, with apricot notes.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, white wine grapes, oak, funky, apricot, green apple, and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: My first Wildflower bottle and wow, this was enjoyable. Good balance of funky, citrus and stone fruit flavours.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Against The Grain Brewery, Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Against The Grain Waking Up In Reno

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Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: All Funked Up Wild Series

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Wine barrel aged smoked salted Sour Brown Ale.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 3

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy amber orange brown colour with a thin beige head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Red grape, cherry, vinous, oak, herbal, caramel, toffee, nail polish, with light smoky notes.
Taste: Funky, lightly tart, red wine, vinous, oak, coconut, peppery, boozy, and only a hint of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I think this was maybe a case of doing too much, as in the end it just seemed like a bit of a muddled and puzzling flavour profile. The wine barrel ageing was there front and centre which was fine. As far as smoked and salted goes, the smoke was barely there and I got maybe a whiff here and there, while the salt was nowhere to be found. I’m thinking that the smoke and salted part were there but rather than show up, it just affected the other flavours and just basically confused everything else. This just didn’t work for me.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij De Ranke, Wild Ale

De Ranke Back To Black

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Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Country: Belgium
ABV: 9.5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Aged on wood

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer has been designed as an old Export Porter. It has been brewed as undrinkable bitter and then aged in wood for 9 months. The result is a strong dark beer that has a perfect bitter/sour balance.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.75
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 750ml bottle with a best before date of 13th October 2021. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: A hazy rusty orange brown colour with a thin beige head that dissipated fairly quickly but left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, plum, prunes, cherry, light funk, with only a hint of roast and chocolate.
Taste: Sour, tart, plum, prunes, raisin, orange, citrus peel, and oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: I was expecting an Imperial Porter so my first impression wasn’t great. But as a Wild or Sour Ale, this was interesting with its citrusy orange finish. The body didn’t seem like it’d support such a high ABV beer, but at the same time, it didn’t feel even close to being 9.5% ABV.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Garage Project, New Zealand, Wild Ale

Garage Project Random Acts Of Kindness

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Brewery: Garage Project
Country: New Zealand
ABV: 7.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Workshop

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The first in a very special series of beers that capture the essence of Wild Workshop. Two parts New Zealand grown pilsner malt to one part raw wheat go through an extended brewing process to yield a wort that is rested in a traditional open coolship, then fermented entirely using the wild yeast and microbes present in the air. This first release is a special blend of one year old barrels producing a unique and beautifully balanced beer, a true expression of our inner city terrior.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.06
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 15th August 2019. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that eventually settled to a rapidly replenishing fluffy cap that left lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, straw, oak, Champagne grape, honey, with notes of stone fruit and citrus zest.
Taste: Sour, funky, stone fruit, apricot, peach, oak, and a hint of honey and lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Dry-ish, medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and enjoyable Wild Ale with good funk and fruity notes.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij Alvinne, Wild Ale

Alvinne Cuvée Sofie Duindoornbes-Zilverbes

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Brewery: Brouwerij Alvinne
Country: Belgium
ABV: 8%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: BXL Beerfest 2017 limited edition

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Barrel fermented and aged blond sour with sea buckthorn berries and silverberries. Limited edition for BXL Beerfest.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.99
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 limited edition for BXL Beerfest, with a best before date of August 2022. Poured into an Alvinne teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy copper orange brown colour with no head and no lacing.
Aroma: Sour, lightly tart, plum skin, grape, oak, funk, with notes of acetone.
Taste: Sour, plum, grape, mixed berries, lemon, oak, with vinous notes and hints of funk and red wine vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I don’t know what sea buckthorn berries or silverberries tastes like, but this was an enjoyable sour with lots of fruity notes.