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4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Wild Sinister Kid – Double Sour Cherry & Malbec Grapes

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10%
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 – Sour Cherries, Malbec 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.

Three of the 2019 Wild Sinister Kid blends were conditioned upon twice the amount of fruit as their counterparts to achieve a truly elegant and fruit-forward final blend. Consisting of 50% bourbon barrel-aged beer and 50% wine barrel-aged beer, Wild Sinister Kid: Double Cherry Malbec pours a gorgeous ruby brown in the glass. Ripe with abundant red fruit aromas, layered notes of juicy cherry, fresh plum, and raspberry juice jump from the glass. Offering a moderate acidity balanced by a silky mouthfeel, we’re proud to share this luscious beer with you.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.24
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 15th August 2019. Poured into a Lindemans stemmed lambic teku/tulip glass.
Appearance: Maroon coloured with a one finger beige head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, oak, vanilla, red wine grape.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, cherry, oak, cinnamon, with notes of plum, and maybe bourbon.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Although I was disappointed that the bourbon and wine barrels weren’t obvious to me, the aroma and flavours worked and it was enjoyable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Trillium Brewing Company, USA, Wild Ale

Trillium Wild Sinister Kid – Black Currant & Pinot Noir Grapes

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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.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Trillium Brewing Company, USA

Trillium Double Apricot Stonington

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: New England Wild Saison with apricot aged in oak barrels. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Valley Pilsner, Valley Danko Rye and Valley Wheat. Adjuncts – Apricots

Brewer Description: (from website) The base beer for Double Apricot Stonington was brewed with 100% Valley Malt and fermented by our native New England mixed culture which was collected from grape skins at Saltwater Farm Vineyard in Stonington, CT where JC & Esther Tetreault were married. This New England Saison is aged in French oak Chardonnay casks for sixteen months to layer in a bright vinous character before being blended back into stainless to carry out a secondary fermentation on 4.5 pounds of apricots per gallon for three months.

Out of the bottle, Double Apricot Stonington pours a hazy orange color, immediately announcing itself by swirling a bevy of stone fruit aromatics with undertones of bright white wine, lightly toasted oak and a mild funk. The amplified quantity of fruit used intensifies flavors of apricot nectar, yellow peach, overripe pineapple and tart, freshly squeezed orange that meld together and crash over the palate in bold waves. Balanced by a light biscuity malt backbone, Double Apricot Stonington is splendidly sour with a crisp, semisweet finish accentuated by an elegant floral note and bellini-like effervescence.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.33
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.1

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 1st November 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy orange juice orange colour, with a very thin off white head that disappeared almost immediately, and left no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, intense apricot, with notes of peach and oak.
Taste: Sharp, intense sour, tart, apricot, with a hint of oak and white wine.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: While the flavour wasn’t bad, it could not hide the balance which was off, as the sourness was just too sharp and intense that it distracts from, and hides the other flavours. It also felt rather uncomfortable at times, and just wasn’t easy to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Trillium Brewing Company, USA

Trillium Lineage Wheat – Double Raspberry

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: American Wild Saison with raspberry aged in oak barrels. Lineage series. Hops – US Goldings. Malts – Pilsner, Valley Wheat and Flaked Wheat. Adjunct – Raspberries

Brewer Description: (from website) The latest edition of our New England Wild Saison series features a double dose of raspberry and a generous amount of local wheat from Valley Malt in Hadley, Massachusetts. The beautiful red hue gives way to aromas of fresh raspberries, dark cherries, and a touch of funk from our Native New England mixed culture. The amplified quantity of fruit we used in the process intensifies the notes of raspberry jam and tart cranberry that highlight the single raspberry version of this beer. Slight floral character and a light, drinkable body give Double Raspberry Lineage Wheat added nuance and approachability.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.87
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 5th July 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy maroon red colour with a two finger slightly pinkish head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, jammy, raspberry, with slight cherry notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, probably overly so. Raspberry, jammy, cranberry, red currant, acidic, with a touch of citrusy lemon on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, sharp, intense, medium to light bodied with moderate to high carbonation.
Overall: Loved the jammy aroma, and although the taste had notes of this jammy flavours coming through, it was overwhelmed by sharp and intense, sour and tartness, that made it uncomfortable on the palate. I preferred the regular Lineage Wheat – Raspberry, which had the same jammy notes, but was much more balanced than this Double Raspberry.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison - Fruit, Trillium Brewing Company, USA

Trillium Lineage Rye – Orange Muscat

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Brewery: Trillium Brewing Company
Country: USA
ABV: 10.1%
Style: Farmhouse Saison – Fruit
Other Notes: American Wild Saison aged in oak casks. Lineage series. Hops – US Goldings and Aged Hops. Malts – Pilsner, Valley Danko Rye and Flaked Wheat

Brewer Description: (from website) Our series of New England saisons continues with Orange Muscat Lineage Rye, a wild ale featuring Valley Malt Danko Rye. This Polish rye grain provides a soft earth and spice malt backbone to compliment the complex characteristics derived from aging in oak barrels with our native New England mixed culture and well aged hops. The Orange Muscat version of Lineage Rye has a light straw hue and engaging floral and vinous aromatics on the nose with a hint of kiwi and mild brett-derived farmhouse funk. The palate develops the nose further, emerging with orange zest, young white wine and a suggestion of honeysuckle nectar. Mature, soft oak melds with a faint rye spice on the finish with a refreshing light acidity and a zippy, tight carbonation.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.68
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.4

Intro: A 330ml bottle, bottled on 17th May 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden orange colour with a two finger white head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Vinous, oak, grape skin, citrus zesty, funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, vinous, orange, orange zest, white wine grape, oak, spicy, light funk.
Mouthfeel: Rich, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Aroma and flavours were not bad, but the richness of the vinous and orange was a bit overwhelming for my palate, and just not so easy to drink.