“The Rooster is a safe assembly rye beer aged up to two years in oak barrels of Banyuls to which have been added, for a maturity of one month, 450 pounds of sour cherries. The result is an amber and proud beast, the tenacious cap which has at nose lambiquées notes on a background of cherries and candy. Her slim body sings at dawn bright notes, the very generous fruity, striking attack that awakens the senses. The whole stretches in a vinous finish, slightly oxidative, real ode to refresh that grows recidivism”.
This sour marks our 2nd entry for this French-Canadian brewery. Quite rare and very hard to find in Australia, the only bottle shop stocking them is the oak barrel in Sydney city. We served this beverage in to a beer tulip. Quite an attractive appearance here, the EBC in a way resembles a rosé wine with it’s light magenta body and deep pink hue. Very active carbonation off the pour which arouses this frothy 2 finger cap that maintains for a short while but eventually peels off to a collar with meagre lace trails. Where do we start with this aroma? The depth in complexity is noteworthy as we pick up cidery scents of tart/sour cherries, oak, vanilla, raspberry/strawberry, funky/bretty notes, musk, vinegar and subtle spice to round it all off. Aahh the wonders of wild yeasts. The texture of the beer in the mouth is quite oily with a sharp peppery spiciness on the tongue. The carbonation is moderate and the body is nice and light on. We admire how the sourness works the palate in stages. Initially it’s more tart cherries, spicy pepper and alcohol warmth on entry. As it gradually moves through the mid the sourness really develops, taking on extra acidity and forcing the taste buds to release saliva. A hint of oak forms late leading in to a slightly vinous and sour finish. Good length, we get a hint of balsamic vinegar on the back end. The 7.5% ABV also plays a bit of a role too. It’s delicately fused into the spicy, acidic flavours throughout the beer. Well one thing is for certain, this makes it an easy 2 from 2. The ‘La Tracteur’ saison was delicious and this sour is definitely something memorable. A tonne of character and complexity on offer here. Very nice.