Tag Archives: wine barrel aged

Ca’ del Brado Nessun Dorma

Brewery: Ca’ del Brado
Country: Italy
ABV: 6.4%
Style: Sour Ale

Brewer Description: (from bottle in Italian) Nessun Dorma è una Vieille Saison, stile tradizionale dell’Hainaut, provincia della Vallonia. Il mosto, realizzato con buona percentuale di frumento non maltato e avena, riceve una luppolatura delicata di luppoli nobili. A seguito di una fermentazione in acciaio attraverso Saccharomyces, la birra affina da 6 a 8 mesi in tonneaux e barriques (che precedentemente contenevano vino), con contaminazione di brettanomiceti e batteri lattici. Il blend finale produce una bevuta rustica e dalla marcata presenza acidula. Note citriche, speziate e di frutta bianca sono ingentilite da sentori floreali e dalla complessità conferita dal legno. Nessun Dorma è una birra rinfrescante con una profondità selvaggia, che potrà certamente godere di un ulteriore invecchiamento nella vostra cantina.

(translated to English) Nessun Dorma is a Vieille Saison, a traditional style from Hainaut, a province of Wallonia. The must, made with a good percentage of unmalted wheat and oats, receives a delicate hopping of noble hops. Following a fermentation in steel with Saccharomyces, the beer ages from 6 to 8 months in tonneaux and barriques (which previously contained wine), with contamination of brettanomycetes and lactic bacteria. The final blend produces a rustic drink with a marked acidic presence. Citric, spicy and white fruit notes are softened by floral scents and the complexity given by the wood. Nessun Dorma is a refreshing beer with a wild depth, which will certainly enjoy further aging in your cellar.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.8
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.6

Intro: A 375ml bottle with a best before date of December 2024. Poured into a Holy Mountain tulip glass.
Appearance: A hazy pale orange colour with a thin white head that dissipated quickly, while leaving some decent lacing.
Aroma: Lightly tart, white wine grapes, light funk, lime peel, and slight wood notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, lemon, white wine grapes, green apple, oak, with light funkiness.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Balanced and easy to drink. Would love to try more from this brewery.

Mikkeller Baghaven Rubus of Rose

Brewery: Mikkeller Baghaven
Country: Denmark
ABV: 7.2%
Style: Wild Ale
Other Notes: Blend 2, aged 14 months

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Wine barrel fermented Danish Wild Ale aged on fresh raspberries.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.49
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.4

Intro: A 375ml corked and caged bottle, blend 2, with a best before date of February 2029. Poured into a Mikkeller Baghaven Zalto Bordeaux stemmed glass.
Appearance: A hazy ruby red colour with a two fingered pinkish head that dissipated fairly quickly, while leaving only sparse spotty lacing.
Aroma: Tart, jammy, raspberry, with slight funk.
Taste: Sour, tart, jammy, raspberry, redcurrants, hay, lightly funky, with notes of oak.
Mouthfeel: Medium to light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Really enjoyed the aroma and flavours here with intense jammy raspberry leading the way.

Cascade Apricot

Brewery: Cascade Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 7.2%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Northwest sour ale. Ale aged in oak barrels with apricots. 2015 project

Brewer Description: (from bottle) House of Sour. This Northwest sour ale is a blend of sour blond ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 14 months with fresh apricots.

My rating: 3
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.86
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.7

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2015 project. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A lightly hazy golden orange colour with a one finger white head that had decent retention while leaving lots of nice lacing.
Aroma: Tart, apricot, oak, hay, lime zest, light funk.
Taste: Sour, very sour, tart, apricot, hay, dust, wood, oak, lemon zest.
Mouthfeel: Moderately sharp, medium bodied, with moderate carbonation.
Overall: The flavours were enjoyable, but it was just too sour, and coupled with the acidity, it was just a bit too much for any easy drinking, but good for sipping.

Cascade Sang Noir

Brewery: Cascade Brewing
Country: USA
ABV: 9.9%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: Northwest sour ale. Ale aged in bourbon and wine barrels with cherries. 2015 project

Brewer Description: (from bottle) House of Sour. Sang Noir is a blend of select red ales aged in bourbon and wine barrels with Bing cherries for up to two years.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.39
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.3

Intro: A 750ml corked and caged bottle, 2015 project. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A cloudy dark maroon colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated quickly and left only sparse lacing.
Aroma: Cherry, mixed berries, acetone, oak, wood, with slight balsamic notes.
Taste: Sour, tart, cherry, caramel, oak, wood, mixed berries, grape-y vinous, with very light notes of bourbon.
Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate to soft carbonation.
Overall: Not getting much bourbon, but there was an enjoyable complexity about this beer with a good blend of fruit and wood. At 9.9% abv, the alcohol was well hidden. This was definitely one of the better Cascade beers I’ve tried.

Against The Grain Waking Up In Reno

Brewery: Against The Grain Brewery
Country: USA
ABV: 8.5%
Style: American Wild Ale
Other Notes: All Funked Up Wild Series

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Wine barrel aged smoked salted Sour Brown Ale.

My rating: 2
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 3

Intro: A 750ml bottle with no bottled on or best before date. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass.
Appearance: A slightly hazy amber orange brown colour with a thin beige head that dissipated fairly quickly while leaving some spotty lacing.
Aroma: Red grape, cherry, vinous, oak, herbal, caramel, toffee, nail polish, with light smoky notes.
Taste: Funky, lightly tart, red wine, vinous, oak, coconut, peppery, boozy, and only a hint of smoke.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Overall: I think this was maybe a case of doing too much, as in the end it just seemed like a bit of a muddled and puzzling flavour profile. The wine barrel ageing was there front and centre which was fine. As far as smoked and salted goes, the smoke was barely there and I got maybe a whiff here and there, while the salt was nowhere to be found. I’m thinking that the smoke and salted part were there but rather than show up, it just affected the other flavours and just basically confused everything else. This just didn’t work for me.