“Aged on currants and cascara with brettanomyces and pediococcus in Pinot Noir barrels. Then blended into a red wine foedre for further ageing..”

Served in a tulip. This attractive little number boasts a crimson red body and a short tan head. Retention is poor as it rapidly reduced to a ring with spotty lace following it down.
The aroma is super complex. There’s certainly no lack of woody oak and vinous tannins. Quite earthy, spicy and tart with plums, cherries and pomegranate making a distinct appearance. The sourness is bold but bearable, taking on a somewhat sour apple and slightly acetic approach. Some faint hints of aniseed, barnyard, alcohol and musty cellar room to further complicate things! Quite nice actually.
The flavour profile is similar to the aroma but with a more pronounced sourness. The strong oak, vinous tannins, the slightly tart plum, pomegranate and cherry…all here along with a lifted booze and spice character. Our main concern would be that it gets a bit too vinegary by the end but then again in light of this the subtle earthy note does take a bit of the edge off.
The texture is sharp, tangy and acidic with pretty good co2 considering the two years spent in the bottle. Medium body.
Yeah we can’t say that we’re blown away but there is definitely some potential here. We’ve locked a couple more of these away so here’s hoping a few more years will be kind to this slightly unrefined ale. Good but not great.