Tag Archives: oak barrel aged

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

Firestone Walker Krieky Bones

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 5.9%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Ale fermented with sour cherries. 100% French oak foeder

Brewer Description: (from bottle) What began as a birthday gift took on a life of its own. Proprietor David Walker cornered us one day and requested a sour cherry fermented beer for his 50th birthday. A handful was sold at a release and our customers demanded more. Behold Krieky Bones! This beer begins its life as a Flanders Red inspired beer aged over a year in French oak foeders. Sour Montmorency cherries are added and allowed a secondary fermentation. The aroma is of cherry pie complete with flavours of pie crust, spice and an underlying funk. Vienna malt notes give way to an assertive acidity and a bright carbonation. A sante!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.29
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 003, bottled on 26th September 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear reddish dark copper colour with a big two finger white head that had great retention while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sweet and sour, cherry with only hints of funk and vinegar.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, cherry, oak and vanilla with hints of almond.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with nice high carbonation.
Overall: Very nice and easy to drink with good cherry flavours.

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

Firestone Walker Agrestic

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Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 6.7%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: American Wild Red Ale. 82% French oak & 18% American oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Fittingly, Agrestic Ale begins its journey as DBA; the foundational beer first offered when Firestone Walker opened its doors in 1996. Oak barrels along with our proprietary collection of microflora act like a chrysalis process, transforming DBA into Agrestic Ale over the course of several months. The result is a synergistic blend of beer matured in French and American oak with signature flavors and aromas: wood-derived toast, lemon pith, and rosewood swirl on the nose and palate, followed by an amazing harmony of vanilla, coconut and Earl Grey tea. Dark cherries, caramel malt and spice round out its complexity and drinkability. The finish is crisp with a mouthwatering acidity and chewy tannins. A sante!

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.18
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 003, bottled on 5th July 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.
Appearance: A clear amber copper colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated slowly while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, lemon, oak, vanilla and coconut.
Taste: Tart, lightly sour, lemon, cherry, oak and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with high carbonation.
Overall: Nice, enjoyable and great to drink.

3 - Indifferent (might buy, probably drink), Beer Reviews, England, Euro Sour Ale, The Wild Beer Co.

Wild Beer Sourbeest

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Brewery: The Wild Beer Co.
Country: England
ABV: 5.9%
Style: Euro Sour Ale
Other Notes: Stout + Sour + Chocolate + Barrel-aging

Brewer Description: (from bottle) We believe exceptional brewing stems from imagination and passion. It’s not just a process. By embracing our environment and being free of rules and tradition, we can add a Wild 5th element to our beers – in this case a locally harvested culture of yeasts and bacteria from the famous Somerset orchards. We want to give you a truly memorable drinking experience. We want to alter your perceptions and thrill your taste buds. We want you to Drink Wildly Different. Sourbeest is a sour stout made by the magic of spontaneous fermentation and aged in oak barrels for over 9 months. We use the second running’s from our Imperial Stout, Wildebeest, as the base for this beer and let the yeast and bacteria in the air inoculate the cooling wort and start their own magical fermentation. The beer then goes straight into oak barrels to ferment and mature over many months until we deem it ready for your drinking pleasure. A taste of chocolate coated sour cherries fills the mouth. A proper treat!

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.36
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of 14th January 2018. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A moderately dark brownish red colour with pretty much no head, with any head that was there, dissipating almost immediately, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart and sour mixed berries, vinous red wine, cherry, oak with hints of chocolate in the background.
Taste: Milk chocolate, lightly tart, cherry, mixed berries, vinous, grape with perhaps some light oak.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with low carbonation.
Overall: The tart and sour part was actually pretty good. However, the chocolate came through in the taste every now and then, and while it wasn’t overpowering, I didn’t think it combined too well with the sour parts. I also felt that the carbonation was too light.

4 - Good (buy), Almanac Beer Co., Beer Reviews, USA, Wild Ale

Almanac Vanilla Cherry Dogpatch

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Brewery: Almanac Beer Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 7.6%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Farm to barrel. Barrel aged in oak

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour red ale aged in wine barrels with cherries and whole vanilla beans.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.46
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 375ml bottle, released in May 2017. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy pinkish orange colour with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly and left sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Sweet and tart cherry, vanilla, oak and red gummy candy.
Taste: Very similar to the aroma with sweet and tart cherry, vanilla, oak and a light citrus tang.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: This was really nice and enjoyable. The vanilla and oak mixed really well with the cherries.

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

Bruery Terreux Sans Pagaie

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Brewery: Bruery Terreux
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2017 vintage. Our kriek-inspired sour is made with Montmorency and Balaton cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Sour Blonde Ale aged in oak barrels with cherries. Tart – piquant – up a kriek.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.25
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml bottle, 2017 vintage. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A nice cloudy ruby red colour with a just over one finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, cherry, oak and vanilla.
Taste: Like the aroma, sour, tart, cherry, oak and vanilla.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice, refreshing acidity with great aromas and taste.