Tag Archives: oak barrel aged

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Side Project Brewing, USA, Wild Ale

Side Project Terroir Project: Chambourcin

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Brewery: Side Project Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 8%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: 2017 vintage

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Missouri wild ale with wine grapes aged in oak.

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

Intro: A 375ml bottle, 2017 vintage, poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear dark ruby red colour with a thin pinkish head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing.
Aroma: Light tartness, red wine grapes, vinous, funky, hay, oak, with notes of mixed berry sweetness.
Taste: Light sour and tartness, vinous, red wine grapes, light funk, oak, with notes of cherry and mixed berries.
Mouthfeel: Dry, medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Nice complex aroma and flavours. It was more vinous than expected, but the aroma especially was really good and everything was just really balanced.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Casey Brewing & Blending, USA, Wild Ale

Casey Oak Theory

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Brewery: Casey Brewing & Blending
Country: USA
ABV: 5%
Style: American Wild Ale

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

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.09
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, bottled on 22nd December 2015. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen gueuze glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy golden colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Funky, damp wood, hay, lemon juice, pear, with light apple and floral notes.
Taste: Light to moderate sour, lemon juice, citrus rind, pear, apple, with light funk and notes of lime and wet wood.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I heard this was described by someone as a table beer, and I thought that this was pretty accurate. It was brewed with the Senne Belgian sours in mind, so I’d call it a table gueuze when compared to the best of the gueuzes as although everything was enjoyable and worked together, it was still relatively muted in comparison.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Burning Sky Brewery, England, Wild Ale

Burning Sky Elderberry Monolith

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Brewery: Burning Sky Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 9.7%
Style: American Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our wild black beer spent 18 months in oak before being aged for a further 6 months on local elderberries. The result is reminiscent of a deep, earthy Burgundy.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.27
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 15th February 2021, and with a best before date of 15th February 2031. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A nice deep dark purple colour with a two finger purple head that had good retention and left some lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, dark berries, raisin, earthy, oak, woody.
Taste: Lightly sour and tart, dark berries, blackberry, blackcurrant, raisin, earthy, woody, oak, a touch of chocolate, with red wine vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: I’m not sure what elderberries tastes like, but there’s lots of good dark berry flavours here. There’s a good balance of fruit, dark malt, earthy, woody and vinous that gives it good complexity, and the ABV is also well hidden, such that you don’t notice it at all.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Odd Breed Wild Ales, USA, Wild Ale

Odd Breed Agronomics of Squander

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Brewery: Odd Breed Wild Ales
Country: USA
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Wild Ale with Blackberries and Blackcurrants

Brewer Description: (from bottle) This brew was blended from two Sangiovese puncheons of our turbid mashed wild ales; half was barrel aged for eight months and half was aged 16 months. We refermented and conditioned the blend on over 700 pounds of blackberries and blackcurrants for three months. Blackcurrants lend bright acidity with flavors reminiscent of passionfruit and black raspberries with plenty of tannins, while the blackberries lend some sweetness and jam-like notes with earthy undertones. Our mixed culture adds some funk and nuance to this fruit forward wild fruit ale.

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

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 5th June 2020. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy strawberry red with a slight orange hue, and a two finger pinkish head that dissipated quite quickly to a thin replenishing cap, while leaving only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, Ribena, blackcurrant, blackberry, jammy, with nice woody notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, blackcurrant, berry seeds, oak, blackberry, and a touch jammy.
Mouthfeel: Acidic, medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The aroma was wonderful, but taste while having great fruity flavours, was on the borderline of being overly sour and acidic for me. I’m also not getting much, if any, funk, which I think would have helped balanced the sour and acidity.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Deschutes Brewery, Stout - Imperial, USA

Deschutes The Abyss

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Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 11.1%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: 2016 Reserve

Brewer Description: (from bottle) It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s mysterious. This imperial stout has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. The flavor of this special brew draws you in further and further with each sip. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the journey.

Imperial Stout brewed with black strap molasses and licorice, dry spiced with cherry bark and vanilla bean, 21% aged in oak bourbon barrels, 21% aged in oak wine barrels, and 8% aged in new Oregon oak barrels.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.38
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 22 fl. oz. bomber, 2016 Reserve, bottled on 8th December 2016. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: Very dark brown to black in colour with a nice one finger brown head that had decent retention, while leaving lots of nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Dark malt, moderate roast, chocolate, sweet notes, licorice, molasses, bourbon, oak.
Taste: Light bitterness, roasted malts, dark chocolate, light char, sweet notes, brown sugar, licorice, molasses, oak and bourbon on the finish.
Mouthfeel: Creamy, smooth, full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: An excellent classic Imperial Stout with lots of great flavours and not too sweet. A wonderful and enjoyable sipper.