“Amber is a blended, barrel aged Australian Wild Ale. Blend #8 is a blend of three barrels, 1746, 1715 and 1739. A four month old barrel, the beer in 1746 was from our sixth batch of Amber put to barrel in July 2017. 1715 was filled with our fifth batch of Amber on 16 June and aged there until blending. 1739 comes from our fourth batch of Amber and at packaging had spent over five months in barrel.”
Glassware: Snifter.
Appearance: Very deep and murky amber with a steady two finger head resting on top. It is retained rather well and leaves a superb lace clinging to the sides of the glass.
Aroma: Really interesting in the way that the sourness is subdued and the amber characters really come through – caramel, toasty malt, earthy truffle and nutty tones. Big impressions of musty oak barrel and cherry with more subtle vinous notes fused through. A flutter of tart lemons and sherbet add a somewhat sugary/artificial accent to it as well.
Flavour: There’s a discernible shift from the nose. Upfront there’s a substantial lacto funk with citric acidity and musty/woody oak barrel in support. Detecting the slightest hint of caramel in the background but it’s quickly eclipsed by fruit tingles and cherry sherbet late in the piece. The finish is artificial-sweet and candied with a hint of tart lemons on a length.
Mouthfeel: Effervescent and moderately bodied. Mild acidity. 18 IBU and 6% ABV – both hidden nicely.
Overall: Well this is officially our first crack at Wildflower’s range and we can say with certainty that we’re impressed. This one is a well balanced drop, good for entry level sour drinkers like us but also offering some lovely barrel complexity and tart fruits. Very well constructed.