Rating:

“Some things don’t seem right but you want them anyway. That quasi-erotic feeling you get when Charlton Heston makes out with Zira the chimp. Sure, she reluctantly says “All right, but you’re so damned ugly….” But you know she’s into it. And as with all things a bit perverted, so are you. This beer is released every now and then… And increased birth rates can be correlated to the releases. Coincidence? Probably”.

There’s always a sure bet with some events. Like the sun rising every morning, or putting money on black caviar…or moon dog brewing a whacky, out there beer that looks really really audacious! We served this in a beer tulip. The mat black pour produced little head which dissipated instantly leaving no head at all. Even a vigorous twirl of the glass couldn’t conjure up any foam. The aroma is obviously dominated by tart cherries and citric hints of sour lemon, but there are very subtle hints of damp wood, oak, vanilla, phenols and plum that add an extra funky complexity to this beautifully dank aroma. The mouth feel is extremely oily with mild carbonation. Medium body. Upfront the flavour is very similar to the aroma with sour lemon and tart cherries dominating. Behind it all, slightly miffed is a subtle hint of sweetness from the Vienna malts. The sourness carries on through the mid-palate and finishes with soft oak and subtle chipotle style spice. 6.1% ABV is very well buried among the tart, funky flavours. Once again, Moon dog has successfully lived up to it’s name but the feature flavours are…well…so so. Nothing wrong with the beer, just didn’t really hit the mark for us.

Rating:

“Barrel ageing, blending and using different yeasts, this embraces our love of the unpredictability of wild yeast with the subtlety and complexity of maturation in oak barrels. A study in patience, it takes at least 90 days for the wild yeast to work its magic. Modus Operandi is the perfect accompaniment to red meat and game dishes, such as duck or venison, a beer that could easily replace a red wine on the dinner table. A transformation of an old English ale into a beer that is Wildly different. A unique, dark, flavourful beer with a smooth, rich, full body and complex fruit flavours of berries, sweet cherries and tannins”.

From the second you pop this you will know you’re in for a rich and complex beer. Poured into a tulip glass the colour of the body displayed a deep mahogany with a fizzy 1 and a half finger head that reduces quickly without a lot of lacing to be seen. Now on to this complex aroma. Woah. Initially we picked up sour wafts of whiskey, oak and raisin but just underneath sits an arsenal of phenolic fragrances like balsamic vinegar, sour cherry, prunes and creamy vanilla. Mildly carbonated with a soft, almost oily mouth feel. Very moreish palate. An array of smoky flavours being detected, initially we picked up plum, raisin and oak. Sour acidic notes of vinegar and berries that develop in the mid-palate are drawn out all the way to the back end. A warming touch of alcohol finishes off a very, very complex and acquired palate. Not for the every day beer drinker this one. If you’re like us and this is your first crack at a sour this would be the entry level choice. Very different.