Sour beers are an interesting breed. As a whole, they are probably some of the most traditional and authentic beers on earth. The lambics of Belgium predate the dubbels and tripels of the Trappist monasteries. The Belgian sour beers typically have a high wheat ratio and traditionally get their funky/sour characters from an open fermentation process whereby wild yeast and local "bugs" are allowed to ferment the wort into complex, beautiful beer. Sours are a relatively new style in America, coming to the forefront of beer geekdom in the last five to ten years. While some American Craft Brewers have experimented with open/spontaneous fermentation, most have opted to control the addition of brett, pedio, and lacto to achieve their desired flavor profiles. Of course, many of these American Wilds are barrel-aged, and once the beer goes into the barrel you can never be quite sure what it will take out of it - but it is usually very good and almost always interesting (to say the least). Anyhow, without further adieu here are a few of my American Wild Ale reviews:
Russian River Temptation
375ml bottle into a Russian River goblet. Batch 05X2E
Pours a slightly hazy golden with a tight white head. Lots of carbonation bubbles race to the top of the glass.
Smell is slightly funky, slightly tart, and heavy Chardonnay. This beer seems to have picked up a good bit of the barrel character.
Taste is somewhat lively. Nice funky overtones with elements of citrus, breast yeast, and a light tartness. The white wine character carries through from the nose.
Mouth is light and oh so dry. Lovely and refreshing.
Overall, this is a wonderful sour ale. Wilds are one of the final frontiers for American Craft Brewing, and Russian River is way ahead of the curve.
Score:4.4/A
Russian River Supplication
375ml bottle into a Russian River "Belgian Style Glass." The cork popped out of the bottle while I was removing it and hit the ceiling. Don't open this one towards anyone's face. Pours a dark reddish brown with very little head. Held to the light, the beer shows an orange hue.
Nose is pretty funky. The tart cherries lie beneath a nice layer of musty barnyard-type aromas and hints of oak.
The taste has a lot going on. It starts slightly sweet, but immediately turns to funky. The finish is dry with a lingering acidic quality. All the parts play well together to paint a nice picture.
Mouth is highly carbonated and bone dry. Champagne like.
Overall, a wonderful American Wild. I'd love to see more breweries explore the style the way Russian River has.
Score:4.53/A+
Russian River Consecration
375ml bottle into a Russian River -tion glass. Batch005X2EPours dark ruby brown with less no head at all. Lots of carbonation bubbles rush to the top of the glass. Very nice clarity.
Nose is brett, earth, and wood. Touches of fruit. As it warms, the oak and fruit become more prominent.
Funk takes forefront in the taste. Very smooth with a pleasant tart finish. The fruit makes a wonderful contribution, similar to a Kriek.
Quite dry, impressive for 10% ABV. The high carbonation works really well.
Overall, a spectacular showcase of RR's ability to make a funky sour beer.
Score:4.47/A
Avery Dihos Dactylion
12oz bottle into an Avery Tulip. Pours a rusty copper with a thin off white head. Looks rather still, not showing any bubbles moving through the body.
Nose is tart, with elements of sweet fruits, tart vinegar, and a touch of funk.
Taste is interesting. The beer has a sweet/sour thing going on, but rather than a fruit sweetness it's more of an alcohol sweetness. I keep thinking this should be called a "Sour English Barleywine." I'm not getting any of the Cabernet, but I'm no expert in wine.
Mouth is heavy. It's not bad, but it doesn't have that dry, crisp quality that so many great American Wilds display. It is moderately carbonated.
Overall, an interesting take on the American Wild style. Worth a look, but not the best in category.
Score:3.8/B+
Avery Quinquepartite
12oz. Bottle into an Avery Genua Glass
Pours a hazy golden with pinkish grapefruit hues. A very thin head stay afloat the top with nice lacing.
Aroma is subdued, but still nice. Lightly tart and slightly funky with overtones of citrus.
Taste mirrors nose, with the tartness coming out a tad more. Nice lingering sourness on the palate leaves me salivating. A little sweetness throughout.
Overall, I think this is a nice American Wild. I'd like to see it a tad dryer, as the sweetness seems out of place, but it is still a nice drinking beer.
Score:3.9/B+
New Belgium Le Terroir
22oz. into a Duvel Tulip. Pours a hazy bright yellow with a one finger dense head.
Nose is very fruity. Makes me think funky peaches. Love it.
Super tart taste. This thing is nearly Cantillon sour. Bright citrus fruits through and through.
Super dry, light medium bodied.
A fantastic American Wild at a decent price. New Belgium hit a home run with this one.
Score:4.47/A
Odell Friek
750ml into a Russian River goblet.
Pours dark ruby red with a fizzy head that disappears almost instantly. Looks more like cherry cola than beer.
Smells funky and fruity. More raspberry than cherry, with a little wood mixed in for good measure.
Taste is a nice mellow tartness. Slightly funky with really nice fruit flavors balancing out the tart. This is a very good tasting beer.
A little thin and fizzy in the mouth. Appropriately dry, but not quite substantial enough to be great.
Overall, this is a really nice American made fruit Lambic*. I like.
Score:3.9/B+
*BeerAdvocate classifies this as a lambic, but it is more properly classified an American Wild, as the term lambic implies a certain geographical origination.
