Category Archives: Wild Ale

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Jester King Brewery, USA, Wild Ale

Jester King Boxer’s Revenge

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Brewery: Jester King Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 9.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Sour Barrel-Aged Strong Ale. Native yeast and souring bacteria captured from the land and air at our brewery in the Texas Hill Country slowly imparted a sense of place in this dry, tart, highly attenuated ale during months of fermentation in oak barrels. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, and 100% bottle-conditioned

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Boxer worked himself nearly to death for the pigs and was repaid by being sent off to the glue factory. But what if Boxer escaped from the glue truck, got back to that farm and said, “It’s payback time!” (We imagine a Rambo-esque bloodbath of vigilante justice and vintage Arnold-quality one liners, with an obvious setup for “Boxer’s Revenge II: The Clydesdale Retribution.”) In the end, Boxer would find an old, abandoned farm, where he’d build a brewery and work even harder than before; only this time not for the pigs.

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

Intro: A 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle, blend #9, bottled on 22nd March 2017. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden copper colour with a two finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Funky, tart, oak, hay with some light tropical fruit, mostly apricot.
Taste: Tart, funky, tropical peach and apricot, citrus lemon, oak, hay and a light earthiness.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice funk and fruit aromas and flavours. Although ABV is quite high, it still goes down really easy.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Hong Kong, Wild Ale, Young Master Brewery

Young Master Days of Being Wild – Dried Cherry

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Brewery: Young Master Brewery
Country: Hong Kong
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Single foeder sour ale series

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) Days of Being Wild series draws inspiration from the Lambic traditions of Belgium. It is the first mixed fermentation program of its kind in Asia with a medley of wild yeast strains and lactic acid bacteria doing their work inside an oak foeder. End result is a series of beers that all share an underlying haunting complexity, farmhouse funk and refreshing fruitiness. This dried cherry edition takes it a step further with a second fermentation in Chardonnay barrels together with a generous addition of dried cherries. The combination of deep cherry flavour and vinous notes from the barrels with a touch of residual sweetness makes for a beautifully balanced and yet incredibly complex beer.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.01
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.9

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 vintage, bottle 405 of 470. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy pinkish orange colour with a half finger off white head that disappeared almost immediately and left no lacing.
Aroma: Tart and sweet, cherry, red lifesaver hard candy, white wine, lemon peel and light funk.
Taste: Tart, cherry, red lifesaver hard candy, lightly sour, vinous, hints of oak and funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied, with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Nice cherry aroma and flavours but seems closer to the American Wild Ale than Lambic even if it is inspired by Lambic. I think this is as good as or maybe just very slightly behind the mixed berries version.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Firestone Walker Brewing Co., USA, Wild Ale

Firestone Walker SLOambic

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Ale fermented with blackberries. Barrel ratio: 100% French

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We are fortunate to have great relationships with our local growers who provide us with superb fruit for our beers. Like last year, we had the opportunity to purchase fresh marionberries and boysenberries, both close cousins to the blackberry, so we pounced. For this vintage, fresh berries were added to Sour Opal, a beer matured up to 24 months in oak barrels, and then fermented using our proprietary blend of microflora for an additional three months. Bursting with ripe berries and brambles, as well as hints of jam, the fruit gives way to a rustic funk and soft oak flavours, finishing with a mouth-watering acidity. We humbly present 2016 SLOambic.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.34
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 003, bottled on 8th November 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear ruby purple colour with a big two finger pinkish head that dissipated quickly while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, blackberry, mixed berries, lightly jammy.
Taste: Sour, tart, blackberry, mixed berries, with a touch of oak and funk.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice blackberry aroma and flavours. Enjoyable and easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Bruery (Bruery Terreux), USA, Wild Ale

Bruery Terreux Tart Of Darkness

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Brewery: The Bruery (Bruery Terreux)
Country: USA
ABV: 6.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2016 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Stout aged in oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.26
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2016 vintage, bottled on 23rd March 2016. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear cola dark brown with a just over one finger tanned head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, plum, raisins, moderate roastiness and oak with hints of vanilla and coffee.
Taste: Tart and sour plums, oak and an interesting and nice roastiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: They’re calling it a Sour Stout, but I think its more appropriately a Dark Sour, as although signs of a Stout are there, it’s the sourness that dominates while the roastiness compliments it. But whatever you want to call it, it is well balanced and the flavours just match each other really well.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Denmark, Mikkeller Baghaven, Wild Ale

Mikkeller Baghaven Stevnsbær

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Brewery: Mikkeller Baghaven
Country: Denmark
ABV: 8.1%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Blend 1, aged 18 months

Brewer Description: (from bottle) American Wild Ale fermented & aged in a French oak foeder & then aged on Danish Stevnsbær cherries

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle, Blend 1, with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A dark ruby red colour with a big two finger purplish pink head that dissipated fairly quickly, settling to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, almonds, marzipan, jammy with light bandaid.
Taste: Tart cherry, mixed berries, jammy, oak with touches of marzipan and light sour notes on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Balanced with good aromas and flavours.