Ale sauvage surette, 5%, de Val d’Espoir, Québec.
American Wild Ale, 5%, from Val d’Espoir, Québec.
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 = 3.99/5
Clear straw color at first, with moderate pearly activity. Slightly foamy white 1-2 finger head, lasting around 5 minutes, with no legs but strong lacing and good swirl reaction. Flavors of cranberries, raspberries, lemon, green grapes, local wild yeast, wheat and floral hops. Slick oily medium body with a sharp crisp. Very strong sour finish, super funky and also puckering with sour fruits, lightly cheesy and rustic, ends with a balanced malty and hoppy feel. Soft barrel aged feel included, and it’s a bit candy like similar to Jolly ranchers. So acidic that I would only serve this as an appetizer, not in a large glass. There’s a hint of freshness somewhere in there, from the shadow of a Saison. Highly complex here, while I don’t really enjoy these powerful sour beers, the sour queen wife appreciates it a lot. Not completely unbalanced, but still extreme. Strangely warming and boozy for the ABV, really uplifting. Starting with no yeast, you get a nice grainy and flowery final, the more yeast you pour the more vinous and murky it gets, and more wheaty and citrusy. Overall excellent quality craft.
