“Ripasso is a technique where red wine is re-fermented on grape skins to give it added depth and intensity. We’ve applied this concept to a classic Belgian ale, fermenting it on shiraz skins from our friends at Tyrrel’s wines. We then aged it in shiraz barrels with a wild yeast blend for 6 months, further adding to its texture and complexity.”
Glassware: Stemmed tulip.
Appearance: Very interesting…it pours a bold crimson colour which reveal pink hues when held to the light. The short head collapsed to the rim but managed a wet lace drag down the glass.
Aroma: Beautiful candied berries, vinous grape juice, complex oak tannins and delicate barnyard funk making up the bulk of it. Kind of reminds us of opening up a fresh bag of Allen’s ripe raspberries. It’s fantastic we just can’t get enough of it!
Flavour: No where near as funky as we had anticipated, it’s almost a bit of an anticlimax. Upfront there’s a neat little fusion of grape juice, cherry and very mild barnyard funk which moves in to a more tannic mid palate. The finish is mild, fruit-forward and slightly vinous with reasonable length.
Mouthfeel: Light on, quite frothy with lifted co2. Mild-medium body. 5% AbV – neither here nor there.
Overall: We love the incentive and creativity of this beer and for the most part the execution was on point. Personally we’d have loved to see more vigour, maybe a bit more funk and more barrel flavour. But hey for 5% AbV they’ve done quite a good job. Not bad.