“Fresh sour cherries macerated in young lambic in oak barrels with fermentation in the bottle.”
Glassware: Stemmed tulip.
Appearance: Gorgeous colour…she pours a dark purple almost Ribena-like hue with minimal head. It forms a ring which leaves wavy lace clinging to the sides of the glass.
Aroma: It doesn’t even need to be close to our nostrils to smell it. Incredibly potent cherry notes alongside red wine vinegar, blueberry and walnut. Kind of has this grape flavoured bubblegum accent to it. A bit of that lacto astringency here but it’s softened by hints of fresh pear and apple. Brilliant.
Flavour: It comes on with vigorous pucker…boosted by super tart cherries, plum and astringent red wine vinegar. Quite salty, really gets the saliva glands flowing. A sharp acidity grabs the back of the throat but eases in to a tart, funky yet fruity finish which goes the distance.
Mouthfeel: Super sour! Our pucker-rating is a full 5/5. Mild-moderate body. 6.5% AbV showing through a little bit.
Overall: There’s one subtle yet crucial aspect that we totally ignored in this beer…and that’s the oak. It provides an essential balance, not to mention the soft woody aromas and flavours. Phenomenal drop which almost tuns to wine when it warms up. On par with Cantillon easily.