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

The Ale Apothecary Sahalie

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 9.32%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from tag on bottle) our infamous shield maiden. (* wild & open fermented in the woods of OR. * Mecca Grade Estate Malt + wheat + Goschie Farms hops. * barrel-aged over a year & dry-hopped in oak. * OR honey + sour wort + our yeast = 100% natural carbonation from bottle fermentation.)

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

Intro: A 750ml corked bottle, batch bottled on 7th July 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funk, brett, grapefruit zest, lemon zest, orange and pineapple with hints of apricot.
Taste: Tart, sour, pineapple, apricot, grapefruit zest and a touch of oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Very nice aroma and taste. There was a light booze on the finish that was barely noticeable, which I guess shouldn’t be too surprising that it was there, given it was more than 9% ABV, but it’s these little things that knocked it down a fraction or two.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brouwerij ‘t Verzet, Flanders Oud Bruin

Verzet Whole Lotta Bluebs

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Brewery: Brouwerij ‘t Verzet
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6%
Style: Belgian Flanders Oud Bruin
Other Notes: Oud Bruin with Wild Maine Blueberries. Oud Bluebs. Ale brewed for Novare Res Bier Café’s 10th Anniversary

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This beer is a collaboration with Novare Res, a revolutionary and one of the most imPortland beer bars of the New World. On a hectic, snowy day we gathered in our barrel room to carefully select the blend for the collaboration. We added dried blueberries from Maine and let them ferment in the chosen barrels for 2 months. The result is a red-brown, purplish sour beer with a very fruity taste and woody nose. Be our guest and enjoy the Maine offerings from Verzet and Novare Res.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.05
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 375ml bottle, Bluebs ’18, with a best before date of 14th February xxxx (the rest was smudged off). Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A dark brown colour with a reddish orange hue and a one finger off white head that disappeared almost immediately and left no lacing.
Aroma: Light funk, barrel, tart and mixed dark berries.
Taste: Lightly sour, tart, oak, blueberry skin, blueberries, mixed berries, with light funk and vinegar.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and enjoyable. The aroma while not bad, came through a little weak at times, especially the fruit. No such problems with the taste, which was a good balance of sour and blueberries.

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

Bruery Terreux Tart Of Darkness with Black Currants

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Brewery: The Bruery (Bruery Terreux)
Country: USA
ABV: 6.2%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2018 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Stout aged in oak barrels with black currants added. Ripe – roasty – jammy.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2018 vintage, bottled on 4th January 2018. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A dark brown cola colour with a two finger dark tanned head that had decent retention and left some stringy lacing.
Aroma: Tart, blackcurrant, Ribena, light roast, cocoa, coffee and oak.
Taste: Pretty much what you would expect from the aroma, sour, tart, blackcurrant, Ribena, light roast, cocoa, chocolate and coffee.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I love blackcurrant and the great thing is that it is very prominent here. I think because of the blackcurrant, I actually enjoy this better than the original version. Great balance of sour, fruits and roast.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, The Lost Abbey, USA, Wild Ale

Lost Abbey Ghosts In The Forest

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Oak-aged Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) There’s an aura of mystery that occurs when we close the doors to our barrel room. No one can say for sure what happens each night but it’s obvious there are spirits [ghosts if you will] working their magic. We’re not sure how many inhabit our oak forest. At present there are five large foeders and more than 1200 oak barrels for them to hide in, around, and behind. To this day, no one has managed to see one during the day but our night time brewers hear whispers and the sensation of unnerving drafts of wind arriving out of thin air. It’s as if the ghosts want to be seen or at a minimum acknowledged. After 11 years, we felt it was time to give them their due.

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

Intro: A corked and caged 12.7 fl. oz. bottle, with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden yellow colour with a one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly, but left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, sour, oak, funky, peach, lightly vinous, white grape and lemon.
Taste: Tart, sour, white grape skin, peach, stone fruit, lemon, oak and light funk.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate prickly carbonation.
Overall: Very nice with good aroma and flavours which just make it so easy to drink.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Belgium, Brasserie Cantillon, Lambic - Unblended

Cantillon Iris

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Brewery: Brasserie Cantillon
Country: Belgium
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Belgian Lambic (Unblended)
Other Notes: Fresh hops, no wheat

Brewer Description: (from bottle) The Iris beer, a spontaneous fermentation beer made with pure malt, is really unique. It matures for two years in oak-wood casks and undergoes a natural second fermentation in the bottle afterwards. The fresh hops gives the beer a bitter flavour. This characteristic, combined with the absence of wheat, constitute the main difference between the Iris and the other Cantillon beers, that are made with Lambic. Keep and serve at a temperature of 12°-15°. To be drunk preferably within the 10 years after the bottling date.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 9th January 2018. Poured into a Cantillon ballon glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one and a half finger off white head that dissipates fairly quickly to a thin layer, while leaving some sparse lacing.
Aroma: Tart, funky barnyard, oak, apricot, grapefruit, citrus zest and rind.
Taste: Sour, lightly bitter, a hint of sweetness, funk, oak, apricot, peach, grapefruit zest, lemon and leather with a hint of floral and herbal.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to low carbonation.
Overall: Very enjoyable and great to drink. Even better when aged properly for a few years.