Vintage Lambic Cellar Dwellers.

As the years have slipped away, my passion for beer has waned a bit but the cellar still has remnants of my passions of yesteryears that scratch the itch when needed. I still have alot of respect and admiration for some of the "OG"s in the New England scene like Allagash, Hill Farmstead, Maine Beer Co., Oxbow and the Alchemist among a few others that I am probably blanking on, and if I find myself at a restaurant or event with a crappy wine list, outrageous spirit prices or slim choices, one of my old "stand bys" will always come from this camp of OG's. Recently, while sipping a few wines with a friend from the wine industry, he glanced at the beer shelfs in my cellar and stated he had never tried a vintage beer... and as I mentioned back in the Chinon post, we cracked a De Struise Pannepot Reserve 2011 and it was everything I hoped it to be. After this moment, I began to wonder how some of these lambics and gueuzes were doing as some have crested into the 10-15yr old time frame. Knowing the same wine industry buddy along with a longtime tasting partner and friend that has wandered through similar journeys of beer, wine and spirits were converging on the homestead for a tasting I though it apt to do a cellar check on some bottles I had multiples of and see where they are at. 

I'm happy to report each and every one proved to be expressing itself beautifully with even more grace and complexity then both of us expected, I leave my wine bud out of this equation of assessment as he has had limited experience with any lambics and my longtime tasting partner is just as versed if not more than myself in tasting these funky Belgian gems. In fact the Framboise was from his cellar!

My Brief Thoughts:

Brouwerij Boon Mariage Parfait 2011 (88pts)

(Dusty old wood, earthy mushroom, limestone, lemon pith, dried apricot, tangelo oils, dry floral hay) 

Bzart Lambiek 2012 (86pts)

(Dried straw, floral grass, horseblanket, lemon peel, lavender, extra dry still but evolving with some nice oxidative orchard fruit undertones)

Hanssens Oude Gueuze 2013 (93pts)

(Juicy tangerine, citrus bomb with bright acidity, great supple stonefruit interplay of sweet nectarine and  fuzzy peach, wet basement stones, med plus mouthfeel adds some nice weight to this one making is a standout with the bright acidity and layers of citrus punch!)

De Cam Oude Lambiek 2015 (92pts)

(Old wood, earthy mushroom, tangy citrus, nectarine, slight herbal sage, pineapple, soft and supple with no bubble on release but a touch of prickle now at 10yrs old. Nice balance and focus from start to finish)

De Cam Framboise Lambiek 2015 (86pts) *not pictured

(Musty old raspberry fruit, tomato leaf, funky wood, lemon peels, the acidity and the old stewed raspberry kind of leans into a ketchup hint that I couldn't get away from, but there was some freshness and brightness that was highly enjoyable, just a lil wonky)

Overall, as I spoke about at the start of this post... these were all showing beautifully and I feel like they are only getting better with age. It will be interesting to watch them mature even more as the years of rest seemingly bring a cohesive balance between funk and acidity!

What is the oldest Lambic or Gueuze you have sipped? 

Some Recent Sippers.

Some Recent Sippers.

In addition to enjoying some nice quebec beers over the last few weeks, I enjoyed most of these selections as well:

Hill Farmstead Double Citra

Some classic Vermont Hop Juice

Societe Original & Brasseurs Illimites

La Saison Chaude

Bright & peppery with nice round doughy, round, rustic malts and a dry bitter finish. Paired perfectly with some cured meats from Montreal and some Goat Brie. 

Firestone Walker Lil Opal

Complex barrel aged saison with nice layer of dusty lemon, ripe stonefruit and spicy vinous oak.

Firestone Walker Feral One

This beer is getting better and better, big funky sour with great layers of nectarine, toasted vanilla and mouth puckering !

                                                        Oxbow / Infiniti Collaboration 
                                                               Infinite Darkness

Solid beer but not quite what I was expecting from a apple brandy aged imperial stout. Read to me more like a Belgian strong ale or maybe even a Belgian stout. But regardless of some style questions the beer had nice balance and the barrel character was dialed in resulting in a short life in the glass.

                                                    Jackie O's Paw Paw Wheat

Mmmm Paw Paw fruit, nice pale ale with fruit addition !

A Saturday Evening Rooftop Bottleshare.

(from left to right)

Wicked Weed Bretticent

Free Will Kriek Lambic

the Bruery Batch #50 Grand Funk Aleroad

Rare Barrel Home, Sour Home

Grassroots Brother Soigne

Hill Farmstead/Blaugies La Sarrasin

Side Project Saison de Rouge

Dunham Propolis - Biere de Ferme

Olvalde the Auroch's Horn

Ls Brasseurs du Temps La Saison Haute

Mystic Vinland Two

Night Shift Art #21 Farmhouse Bramble

Fiddlehead Bourbon Aged Frog Run

Kane A Night to End All Dawns (Coffee)

Sipping some Dieu du Ciel.

Sipping Some Dieu du Ciel.

After the trip to Montreal I was obviously excited to get into some of my foraged bottles so considering the only bottles I got that were hop forward in any way were the selections of Dieu du Ciel so I decided those should be the first to crack and over the course of the last week and a half I have had the pleasure of sipping....

Moralite'

"Pours a vibrant yellow golden color with a finger plus of eggshell foam. Aromas are bright grapefruit, sweet mango, some light malt and layers of tropical fruit. The palate follows with a nice juicy hop punch and the round soft palate provides an excellent backbone that is present but just supports the hop profile which is handled very well. Tropical fruit, some sticky wood sap and a clean bitter finish."

Chaman

"Pours a deep golden sienna color with a finger of eggshell foam. Nose is sweet caramel, bready malts, citrus and some earthy grass. Palate follows with more sweetness, honey, citrus, boozy and lingering bitter grass finish. Probably a bit past its prime but still drinking pretty nice."

Solstice d' ete aux Framboises 

"Pours a deep ruby red with a finger of pink foam. Nose is beautiful raspberry fruit, some basement funk and light foggy grain. The palate follows the nose with great layers of earthy raspberry funk, tart ripe fruit and lingering musk. Really enjoyable from beginning to end !"

Blanche Neige

"Pours a orange glowing golden color with a finger of sticky white foam. Nose is spiced orange peel, bubblegum, cotton candy and clove. Palate follows with a big sticky sweet backbone that is cut with some bitter clove and dandelion herbal spice, Lingering earthy dusty wheat, ginger, black tea some booze... not really drinking it in season but raging through some shelf picks that I just snagged while in Montreal !"

La Paienne

"Pours a medium golden color with a finger of white foam. Nose is grainy, sweet malt, biscuit a touch of honey. The palate is clean with a nice balance of bitter and sweet with some layers of earthy honey, bready malts and traces of spicy yeast. Kind of a belgian inspired pilsner. Refreshing."

Isseki Nicho

"Pours a deep dark burnt umber with three fingers of sticky khaki foam. Nose is heavy on the roast, layers of baking chocolate, dark ripe berry, forest floor, moss trace of smoke. Palate follows the nose with great complexity, dusty dark chocolate, blueberry, anise, some umami character,mushroom, boozy burnt brownie. Yummy, this beer makes more sense of the pinot barrel version I tried at the first festival, now Im interested to revisit that beer !"

And finally the collaboration with Le Trou du Diable... side by side tonight !

I've read some reviews that say it is the same beer, but after trying them forwards to back, backwards to forward and beginning to end, well Im finishing the last sip of the Diable version as I type but I am confident in saying that isn't the case. I detect some brettanomyces character in the Dieu du Ciel version, and also find the hop presence to be far more juicy and excessive in the Diable version. Both delicious but different beers that Im grateful to have been able to try !

Dieu du Ciel ~ Divine Comedie 

"Pours a medium golden color with a finger of white fizzy foam. Nose is fruity mosaic hops, spicy brett, some bready malt and fresh grass. Palate is a nice mix of pine, melon, pineapple, pepper, horsehair, very dry with a abrasively bitter grassy finish. Drinking from the bottle and had it on draft at the brewpub a few weeks ago ! Tasty."

Le Trou du Diable ~ Divine Comedie

"Pours a slightly hazy orange golden color with three fingers of billowing foam that settles to a thin layer with great lacing. Nose is peachy, orange rind, spicy yeast, biscuit, dank grass. Palate is round and juicy with a more subtle yeast character than the Dieu du Ciel version. Big citrus. some mango and stonefruit, bitterness is strong but lends a nice contrast to the honey kissed sweetness and full mouthfeel. Lip smacking good !"

Omnipollo Schiuma Party / Hypnopompa

Omnipollo Schiuma Party & Hypnopompa (Bourbon Barrel)

Brewer's Description: 

Schiuma Party ~ collaboration w/ Stillwater

 (Saison aged for 4 months on wine barrels with brett.)

Hypnopompa (Bourbon BA) 

(Bourbon BA Imperial Stout brewed with marshmallows and Tahitian vanilla beans. Gold cap. Henok)

I first tried Omnipollo when I attended the Festival in Worcester and stumbled onto their unassuming table to find a couple of solid offerings. I remember the brewers being super down to earth and very humble about their process of making beer and more importantly their passion. Since that time I have snagged a bottle of whatever I have been able to find from these "gypsy" brewers from Sweden.

My thoughts:

Schiuma Party ~ (collaboration w/ Stillwater) 

Pours a hazy medium golden color with a couple fingers of white fizzy foam. Lots of play between vinous acidity, tart fruit, doughy malts and a nice brett presence that adds complexity and a dry finish. Notes of charcuterie, dusty lemon, pine, grapefruit, old wood, barnyard funk, floral hay, dandelion greens, wine soaked cork.

Final Rating: 

AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20 

Final Score:

4.0 out of 5

Hypnopompa (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

Pours a deep burnt umber color with a finger of khaki foam. Inviting aromas and a smooth creamy mouthfeel with a touch of carbonation to lift the flavors out nicely. Lots of rich chocolate, burnt brownie, vanilla beans soaked in bourbon, caramel, nutty fudge. Silky sweet midpalate that draws out nicely with some bittersweet bakers chocolate and some lingering dark fruits. Solid !

Final Rating: 

AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20

Final Score:

4.1 out of 5

Buy, Forage and Hoard or Pass By:

I would highly recommend buying a bottle of each of these interesting and unique beers. If you find that you enjoy either of them as much as I did then neither of the beers would object to a year or two in the cellar to see what happens !

Stillwater Gose Gone WIld

Stillwater Gose Gone Wild

Brewer's Description: 

"It’s no secret that we like to party, and sometimes it gets wild. So we took Westbrook’s refreshing Gose and cranked up the volume a bit, adding a massive dose of Citra & Amarillo hops, then fermented it various strains of Brettanomyces...Go Westbrook, it’s your birthday, get funky!!" -Brian (Stillwater Artisanal)

Since this labeled leaked to the public a month or two ago I have been anxiously hoping it would hit the shelves of Maine. Today the anticipation is over as it has popped up at any beer store that has a clue ! If your not familiar with Westbrook's canned gose I would recommend seeking it out as it is a flavor packed tart, crushable can of beer that is mostly just available in the South Carolina area but appears in NYC and a few other random spots occasionally as well. Anyhow, this is a new "remix" series that has evolved from the relationships of Stillwater and some other breweries like Omnipollo and this most recent releases with Westbrook. Stay tuned for another review of Westbrook's remix of Stillwater's Cellar Door called Back Door coming this week !

Now lets get to drinking this...

My Thoughts: 

Pours a hazy yellow golden color with two fingers of sticky white foam. Nose is punchy with citrus, yuzu, grapefruit, lime, hints of barnyard brett fresh grass and fresh sea water. Palate follows nicely, bright citrus acidity, lemon, lime, even some flint like stuff going on in here that adds a nice complexity. Cranked up is a great way to describe this, sour,  juicy puckering acidity, mellow salinity, round wheat... wow nice soft mouthfeel, great carbonation ! Tasty.

Buy, Forage & Hoard or Pass By ?

Im gonna hoard this ! At least as much as I can afford at the $10.99 price tag its probably a beer I would crack once a week throughout the summer, this beer is made for hot summer days and pairs great with a order of sushi or spicy Indian, Thai or Mexican fare. I say reach deep into your pockets and grab a fair share of these to sip through the summer season !

Final Rating: 

AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 16/20

Final Score:

4.2 out of 5

Rivertown Ojos Negros

Rivertown Ojos Negros

Brewer's Description: 

Unlike conventional ales and lagers which are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewers yeast, Ojos Negros is instead produced by exposing it to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are native to the Senne Valley, of Brussels Belgium. It is this unusual process involving over a year of fermentation, and over 130 pounds of Fresh Whole Blackberries which gives this beer its distinctive flavor: Semi sweet, vinous, fruity and cidery with a crisp tart aftertaste." According to one of the brewers, it is their Lambic (aged in oak wine barrels) with blackberries added.

I was very excited to grab a bottle of this from my midwest trading partner a year or so ago and have been waiting for the right time to crack it open... that time hadn't happened but after a long day of work I was in the mood for a something sour tonight so I decided no time like the present.  I've had Rivertown's Ville De Rivere Geuze before and even though I was not blown away I was intrigued enough to try more of their sour beer especially one with blackberries added !

My thoughts: 

Pours a slightly rosey copper color with a finger of eggshell foam. Nose is a nice mixture of fruit and funk. Dusty sour lemon, moldy hay, plum skin, musty wet barrel and blackberry juice. The palate follows the nose nicely and the balance of funk and fruit is seamless. Really enjoyable drinker with a juicy blackberry tartness up front that progresses into a musty basement, barnyard funk and lingering wet wood notes that dry out on the crisp finish. Only negative aspect of this beer is the very limited amount of carbonation.

Buy, Forage and Hoard or Pass By ?

Well, this one is another bottle not available in New England but is around in limited amounts throughout Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. If you are a sour beer fan and find yourself seeking out lesser known beers from unassuming breweries... then this is a perfect beer for you. I would highly recommend giving this one a try... and in hindsight I kind of wish I grabbed a second one to get a little dusty in my cellar !

Final Rating: 

AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 17/20

Final Score:

4.3 out of 5

Lagunitas NightTime

Lagunitas NightTime

Brewer's Description: 

There are two kinds. There is the DayTime kind, which is bright and welcoming and then there is the NightTime kind, which should never be confused with the DayTime. NightTime is dark and deep and may take you to unexpected places, places that the DayTime cannot. But then, the NightTime is not suited for ordinary life and ordinary tasks. In fact, NightTime may be the answer for that sort of thing, meaning that those sorts of things may never get done. Things take time in the NightTime, things slow down and you can pause (you have to, actually) and investigate carefully to find that level of objective detachment that is only possible under the spell of the NightTime. Seek the Day, but fear not the Night.

So this may or not be common knowledge but I love Lagunitas Brewing Co. and am so grateful to have their beer available here in Maine ! Every time a new offering comes out from these guys I get excited to try it and this one has been sitting in my fridge for a week or two while I've been sipping through some of the fresh growlers of Hill Farmstead for the last week.
Tonight it was time to pop this Black IPA ! 

My Thoughts: 

Pours a deep dark caramel color with three fingers of eggshell foam. The nose is deep and mysterious with layers of tropical fruit, pine, some light roasted malt, hints of caramel, cocoa powder and some cola too. The palate follows the nose with huge layers of hop complexity, definitely tasting some citra in there. Skittles, guava, pine, coffee, caramel, cocoa, toasted pumpernickel. There is a nice soft roasted malt backbone that anchors all the crazy punchy hops... but the body is still light and refreshing the way a black ipa should be. This beer is fantastic !

Buy, Forage and Hoard or Pass By? 

Stop reading this review and do yourself a favor and go buy a couple bottles of this beer !

Its a hoppy beer so don't buy more than you will drink in the next month or so, but by all means seek this beer out... I got so sick of black IPA's a couple years ago when everyone was doing them but so many people were just making porters or stouts and adding a handful of hops into the mix... this is not one of those types, this is REAL black IPA ! 

Final Rating: 

 AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 5/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 17/20

Final Score:

4.4 out of 5

Omnipollo Stillwater Premium Remix

Omnipollo Stillwater Premium Remix

Brewer's Description: 

While harnessing the subtle splendor that is Stillwater, for this remix of Premium I have called on and abundance of Amarillo hops. The aim is to bring you on an exhibition through the jungle. - Henok (Omnipollo, Sweden)

After drinking many bottles of the original Stillwater Premium over the last couple years I was pretty excited to see a Omnipollo (Sweden) Remix version of this beer brewed at Westbrook hit the interwebs a few months back. After a month or two of realizing Maine wasn't going to be seeing any of this I foraged a bottle this past weekend off the shelves at Julio's down in Massachusetts !

My thoughts: 

Pours a hazy pale yellow golden color with a huge pillowy gaseous white foam. Nose is some soft tropical fruit, barnyard brett, peppery yeast, orange zest, bubblegum and some subtle rustic graininess. Palate follows the nose nicely with a beautiful balance between brett funk, light refreshing grain and complex hop flavors. Dank citrus, grapefruit, cedar, pine, horseblanket, dusty hay, pepper, earthy yeast and a long bitter quality that draws out with the finish nicely !

Buy, Forage & Hoard or Pass By?

Well as I said above... this one didn't make the shelves in Maine but if you are out and about in Massachusetts I'd say keep you eyes out for this bottle. Great warm weather beer that is very drinkable yet highly complex with flavors. If your a Brett freak, forage hard for this one !

Final Rating: 

  AROMA 9/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 15/20

Final Score:

4.2 out of 5

Hill Farmstead Elaborative # 2

Hill Farmstead Elaborative # 2

Brewer's Description: 

Elaborative Two was brewed September 2012 with our friends Brad Clark and Ryan Burke. We crafted this farmstead ale with pumpkins grown by Ben’s Pumpkins. The beer was aged in a variety of wine barrels — as well as a barrel from Virtue Cider in Michigan — with wild yeast and bacteria. After a year, the unique threads were blended together and conditioned in the bottle.

So yes Im a huge Hill Farmstead fan... but I can confidently say I have never had a beer from this brewery that wasn't worth every dollar I spent on it. This one was no different !

My thoughts: 

Pours a deep golden almost copper color with a finger plus of sticky eggshell foam. Lots of interesting layers of rustic grain, vinous wet wood funk, black tea and lemon. To simplify the flavors it taste like a arnold palmer... lots of earthy tea qualities assuming from the barrels as well as the pumpkin addition with nice tart lemon notes. The barrel funk adds beautiful complexity to this mix and the palate is a bit round and fuller than a typical hill saison but the carbonation level is perfect. Im really digging this beer from beginning to end. Delicious !

Buy, Forage & Hoard or Pass By?

Ok well lets be honest... if you didn't make the trek to the hills of Greensboro, VT for the release of this beer than you simply couldn't buy it. But there may be some bottles still lurking around in the cellars of fellow foragers and hoarders... some of those people may have no idea just how good this "pumpkin" beer is.
Try to forage this one with all your might, and if you disagree...
send me a message and Ill make you an very fair offer for your bottle !

Final Rating: 

AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 5/5   OVERALL 18/20

Final Score:

4.4 out of 5

Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit Saison

Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit Saison

Brewer's Description: 

Smooth and elegant, light body, creamy mouthfeel, light spicing from coriander and orange peel give a wonderfully malty/spicy sweet ale. Big alcohol lurking underneath a light and frothy exterior.

So after yesterdays huge disappointment I figured Id pull out another Three Floyds saison from the cellar. I also received this as an extra from a midwest trading partner as he knew I am addicted to saisons and will basically try anything labeled as such to continue my lifelong obsession with this 

beer style ! 

My thoughts: 

Pours a medium gold with a touch of haze and three fingers of tight bubbled white foam. Nose is earthy yeast, white pepper, musty straw and a hint of banana and some bubblegum sweetness. The palate is round and pretty doughy with a full mouthfeel. Flavors match the nose nicely with balance of rustic grain, yeast esters and some light belgian style spice. Rides the line between wit and saison with a subtle lack of carbonation that keeps it heavier on the palate for my preference.

Buy, Forage & Hoard or Pass By ?

Welp, I finished the bottle with dinner but overall it is not the best representation of style. If your a huge Three Floyds fan and must try all their beer  or are like me and feel the urge to try every saison that crosses their path... then forage away, but honestly I wouldn't bother wasting FedEx's time or your hard earned cash for this one !

Final Rating: 

AROMA 7/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 8/10   PALATE 3/5   OVERALL 12/20

Final Score:

3.4 out of 5

Three Floyds / De Molen Zes Zes Zes

Three Floyds / De Molen Zes Zes Zes

(front and back view with a quick photoshop job)

Brewer's Description: 

Now this is a saison! This refreshing Belgian-style ale is the combined effort of Three Floyds and De Molen’s fantastic brewer Menno (the real Dutch Hercules). This spicy and bracing ale was brewed in Munster, but look out for the one we brew in Holland at DeMolen. Cheers and drost!

So I was weeding the garden plot getting ready for another year of planting with the warmth of the sun beating on my neck and the feel of soil under my fingers, my mind started to wander about my favorite of all beer styles... the one they call Farmhouse, the one they call Saison ! 

As I returned home I opened the fridge to find I already had 6 different saisons chilling in the fridge... this one was up front and just so happened to be sent as an extra from a recent trade I did with a forager from Chicago.

My thoughts:

Hmmmm. Was skeptical about this one as I wouldn’t associate either of these breweries with the saison style but that was part of the allure as well as the hieroymus bosch meets robert crumb like label. Anyway lets start talking about the actual beer... pours a medium copper color with three fingers of sticky khaki foam. The nose is more of a barleywine... cornpop cereal, butterscotch, taffy and copper pennies. Hmmm. WTF, this has to be full of diacetyl infection after looking at other reviews there is no way I could pick anything close to traditional saison flavors... and it seems some people actually did get a saison in this bottle... butterscotch, copper pennies. Drainpour Alert !!!!!

Buy, Forage & Hoard or Pass By ?

Damn... I say if you see this beer put on the table at a bottle share drop your glass and run away ! A definite "Pass By" but if you are unfortunate enough to have a bottle of this lurking in your cellar Id be curious if they have all become infected of based on some other ratings is my bottle a complete fluke ?

Final Rating:

 AROMA 1/10   APPEARANCE 1/5   TASTE 1/10   PALATE 1/5   OVERALL 1/20

Final Score

0.5 out of 5

Agree, Disagree... Leave your comments below !

Toppling Goliath psuedoSue

Toppling Goliath psuedoSue

Fresh growler pour !

(actual bottle label)

Brewer's Description: 

This single hop ale showcases the Citra hop. Named for the largest T-rex fossil ever discovered, she roars with ferocious aromas of grapefruit, citrus, mango and evergreen. Delicate in body with a mild bite in the finish.

So I was very excited to try anything from Toppling Goliath as they have been a hot commodity over the past 6 months or so... and being from Iowa means its pretty hard to get. Up until just recently they have kept all their beer in state but just  now started distributing to Wisconsin as well. Having no friends or acquaintances in that area made it a difficult score as most people that have access to it have been holding out for ridiculous trade offers and Im not one to go all in on a new hyped brewery. That all changed when one of my regular trading partners texted me from Ohio saying he was en route to Toppling Goliath and was willing to pick me up anything I wanted, beer karma at its best!

Ok enough of how I got this beer... on to what I think of it !

My Thoughts: 

Pours a medium golden color with two fingers of sticky eggshell foam. Nose is a big burst of citrus, valencia orange some sweet tropical fruits and a hint of scallion and sticky pine. Palate follow with a big juicy hop profile lots of sweet tropical fruit bordering on sticky but the bitter orange peel and grass notes clean up the finish nicely !

64oz Growler $15

Buy, Forage & Hoard or Pass By ?

I say forage away... never hoard a hoppy beer ! If you find someone that is willing to trade you some fresh hop juice from this brewery, I would urge you to get it done. I would gladly trade some Heady Topper, Maine Beer Co., or Tree House Brewing growlers for this stuff. They also brew some highly rated stouts like Kentucky Brunch and Assassin. I've heard the stouts are on the sweeter side but still another couple bottles I have yet to forage in the endless wormhole known as beer releases.

Final Rating: 

AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 9/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL 16/20
Final Score:
4.1 out of 5 

Agree, Disagree... Leave your comments below !

Evil Twin The Porthole

Evil Twin the Porthole

Brewer's description: 

This beer is made in collaboration with Micah Melton The Aviary and is a modest attempt to imitate The ‘Blueberry’ cocktail as it is served in The Porthole at The Aviary, Chicago. The Porthole is an equally genius and gorgeous infusion vessel designed by Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail design studio. It can be used to create striking cocktails or any other type of infusion - maybe even beer.

In case you have no idea what this project is talking about... here is an image of the Porthole:

(taken from Okono website !)

So essentially this was a "saison" based on this contraption funded by Kickstarter and hyped by Evil Twin ! Here is the final product of the restaurant brewer collaboration that was conceived by Jeppe of Evil Twin and brewed at Westbrook. 

My thoughts: 

Pours a deep golden almost amber color with a finger or so of eggshell foam. Lots of dough right upfront with more complexity as it warms a touch. Clay, smoked applewood salt, honeyed malts, hints of blueberry sweetness, green tea, fernet branca, underlying hop presence creates a stale grass citrusy layer as well. Lingering bitterness and herbaceous peppery yeast.

Retails for $10.99

Buy, Forage & Hoard or Pass By ?

Honestly... if your not a experimental saison fan, then "pass by" but if you are  addicted to trying all types of saisons then you must give it a shot... its a similar beast to a lot of Fantome's most recent batches. If you are intrigued by lighter integrated smoked malts... I say buy, not sure I would forage for this one or hoard though.

Final Rating: 

AROMA 8/10   APPEARANCE 4/5   TASTE 7/10   PALATE 4/5   OVERALL12/20 

Final Score:

3.5 out of 5

Agree, Disagree... Leave you comments below !

Blended Oxtoberfest Review

Brewers Notes:

Blended Oxtoberfest will be a varied blend of barrel-aged and fresh Oxtoberfest every year. 2011/2012: Barrel: Riesling/Time: 12 months Additions: mixed bretts, lactobacillus # of bottles: 398

the Bottle Forager's Notes:

Pours a rusty orange brown with a puffy three fingers of foam. Aromas are a little tart fruit, smoked malts, oak and a hint of herbal mint. On the palate its complex but nicely balanced with smokey malts, peat and some earthy rustic wood mixing with bright tart fruit and toasted vanilla notes. Quite an interesting beer thats different than anything Ive ever drank... bridges the gap between german sours and a traditional marzen. Yum !

Bottles are still available at the brewery... $20 ea and remember the new tasting room hours...
Wed-Fri 2pm-7pm

Go find some for yourself and your friends.

Cheers