Tag Archives: wine barrel aged

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

The Ale Apothecary Be Still

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Brewery: The Ale Apothecary
Country: USA
ABV: 8.53%
Style: Wild Ale – Dark
Other Notes: 1600 bottles

Brewer Description: (from hanging neck tag) .wild & open fermented in the woods of OR. .Mecca Grade Estate Malt + roasted barley. .infused with cocoa nibs & cascara. .aged in OR pinot + rye whiskey barrels. .presented barrel-quiet without carbonation. .1600 bottles.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.12

Intro: A 500ml corked bottle, batch from 7th September 2017, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A clear dark orange brown colour, with a thin head most likely from the pour, and sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Very aromatic as soon as the cork was removed. Tart, fruity, red currants, fig, cherry, fruit vinegar, with finishing notes of chocolate and cocoa.
Taste: Light tartness, fruity, dark fruit, red berries, plum, fig, red currant, cherry, light notes of chocolate and cocoa, and a splash of spicy rye whiskey.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied, with no carbonation “this beer is still”.
Overall: Great aroma that just wanted to burst out. Some nice complexity and flavours that work together. This is clearly an Ale Apothecary type beer in my book.

2 - Maybe (likely wouldn't buy, might drink), Beer Reviews, Brasserie Ammonite, France, Wild Ale

Ammonite Symphonie Solera IV

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Brewery: Brasserie Ammonite
Country: France
ABV: 5%
Style: Wild Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle in French) Cette cuvée est issue de l’assemblage perpétuel de tous les millésimes depuis la naissance de la brasserie. Élaborée selon la pratique de la Solera, elle est l’empreinte du temps. Bière de fermentation spontanée, élevée en ex-fûts de vins bourguignons.

(translated to English) This vintage comes from the perpetual blending of all the vintages since the birth of the brewery. Developed according to the Solera practice, it is the imprint of time. Spontaneous fermentation beer, aged in ex-Burgundy wine barrels.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.14
My ratebeer.com rating: 2.9

Intro: A 750ml corked and capped bottle, bottled on 8th October 2021, poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: It was a lightly cloudy pale straw blonde colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly to nothing, while leaving no lacing.
Aroma: Tart, green vines, dill pickles, pickled cucumber, microgreens, unripe guava, with a splash of lemon.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemonade, microgreens, pickled cucumber, lemon juice, with light vinous notes.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with soft to moderate carbonation.
Overall: A strange one for me, overly green, and the aroma and flavours just didn’t come together well for me. I love pickles and pickled vegetables, but that did not work in beer.

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

Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme

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Brewery: The Lost Abbey
Country: USA
ABV: 12.5%
Style: Flanders Red Ale
Other Notes: Barrel-aged wild ale with sour cherries

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Bourbon & wine barrel-aged wild ale with sour cherries. You are holding in your hands one of the most elusive and sought after small batch beers known simply as Cuvee. Our Cuvee de Tomme is a blend of Old World brewing traditions and New World brewing processes. It is made from our Judgment Day ale, then aged in American bourbon and French oak wine barrels. We add some fantastic wild yeasts and sour cherries to the barrels, creating a secondary fermentation. After one year, our brewers then get together to work out the final blend. This means that each batch of Cuvee will vary slightly between bottlings. Yet, the result will always be a memorable drinking experience.

My rating: 4+
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.55
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A corked and caged 1 pint 9.4 fl. oz. bottle with no clear bottled on or best before date. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: It was a dark brownish red colour, with a thin beige head that dissipated quickly, while leaving only sparse to no lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, vanilla, blackcurrant, oak, graphite, cabernet sauvignon.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, blackcurrant, blackberry, vanilla, oak, with light notes of caramel, chocolate and bourbon, and a lightly acidic finish.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: Complex and enjoyable. Loved the aroma, while the taste was good but perhaps just a touch acidic.

5 - Excellent (must buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Table Dorothy Wine Barrel Aged

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 4.5%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: Farmstead Table Pale Ale aged in wine barrels

Brewer Description: (from website) Our low-abv Farmstead® table pale ale – crafted from American malted barley, malted wheat, New Zealand and American hops, our distinctive yeast blend, and water from our well – was conditioned in wine barrels and then dry-hopped before packaging and bottle conditioning. Nine months in wine barrels and then dry-hopped with Citra®, Mosaic®, and Simcoe® before packaging and bottle conditioning.

My rating: 5
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.78
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottle conditioned since November 24, 2020. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy golden straw yellow colour with a very nice one finger white head that had good retention and left some nice lacing.
Aroma: Tropical and citrus fruit mix. Mango, peach, lemon zest, calamansi, yuzu, oak, light funky notes, and a touch vinous.
Taste: Lightly sour, citrusy, calamansi, yuzu, lemon zest, oak, yellow stone fruit notes, white wine vinous, a touch funky, and a touch bitter.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, clean, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really enjoyable and easy to drink with great flavours and complexity. I could just keep drinking this again and again and again.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Farmhouse Saison, Hill Farmstead Brewery, USA

Hill Farmstead Nonconformist 03

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Brewery: Hill Farmstead Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 6%
Style: Farmhouse Saison
Other Notes: A farmstead ale aged in oak barrels. Hops – Cascade. Adjunct – Buckwheat and Vermont Buckwheat Honey. Time in oak – 1 year

Brewer Description: (from website) This is the third entry in our novel exploration of blended beers, aging techniques, and often unexplored ingredient combinations. In the summer of 2018, we brewed a beer with a base composition of 20% Vermont buckwheat honey, 48% organic buckwheat, 32% malted barley, and cascade hops. After a year of respite in wine barrels, the beer rested in the bottle, moving through its own hopeful arc towards achievement over the course of nearly three years. The result is a delicate, floral expression, displaying differing facets of this ancient grain within the context of our Farmstead® ale framework. Once again, the label features the imaginative artwork of our creative collaborator, a close friend, who has inspired and supported the Hill Farmstead journey since the very beginning, Alex Peltz of Peltz Creative.

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

Intro: A 375ml bottle, bottled on August 16, 2019. Poured into a Tilquin stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy dark orange colour with a one finger white head that had pretty good retention, while leaving some nice lacing.
Aroma: Zesty, mandarin, funky, wine barrel, oak, vanilla-ish.
Taste: Tart, sweet, apricot, grapefruit, oak, pineapple, and a touch vinous.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Easy drinking and balanced. Needed some time, but I think it got better after a while.