Almanac Brewing - Devils' Advocate sour

[Kealia]

I've had a few sour beers from this local brewery and loved them all, but I'm crazy-excited about this latest offering:

"This 100% brettanomyces ale is brewed with Mosaic hops, fermented warm and soured in wine barrels. Right before bottling, it’s dry hopped with Nelson hops to create an aromatic and sour ale that embraces both our love of farmhouse funk and tropical aromas of passionfruit, mango and melon. A delicious contradiction of flavor and style.

Our Farm to Barrel beers focus on the eons-old tradition of aging beers in oak barrels. This American wild ale was aged in used wine casks with our house “Dogpatch” sour culture, a cocktail of wild Belgian and American yeasts, including San Francisco sourdough starter. The yeasts slowly morph the beer from a traditional ale into something wild, creating a mild acidic bite as well as pulling oak and vanilla flavors from the barrel. After maturing, the barrels are blended together—creating a vinous, delicate beer that captures the essence of a particular harvest. Farm to Barrel Beers are alive in the bottle, and will continue to mature gracefully for several years."

The similar versions I've had with cherries and pluots have been great but I expect this one to be fantastic! I'll post back when I've tried it.

$9.99 for a 375ml bottle

[philm00x]

That sounds pretty tasty. I'd try it if I could get it here.

[BlackDuck]

It does sound interesting.....Although I've never had a sour yet. Me thinks I need to seek one out and give it a whirl.

[Beer-lord]

I'm trying to enjoy them and keep looking for one that stands out. This one sounds pretty good.

[swenocha]

Ohhh.... want. Let me know if you want to swap one for a Yazoo ETF.

[Kealia]

I thought last night's party was a good time to enjoy and share this beer so I took it with me. I thought it was really good, but I noticed a few things:

1) I couldn't smell the hops at all. What I got on the nose was purely the sour and oak (which isn't a complaint, just an observation).
2) I couldn't really taste the hops either - just the sour although it was more subdued than others I've had (Russian River, for example). Maybe the hops cut the sour just a bit...?
3) It was smoother than expected and very easy to drink.

I passed out small pours to many people just to expose them to it and most liked it - even non-beer drinkers. I think the oak notes and barrel aging crosses over to wine drinkers a bit. They even liked the smell of it (including my wife who thinks most sours smell like feet).

All in all, I'd say it was very good but left me a bit disappointed in the sense that I was hoping for some Citra and Nelson Sauvin to pop in this. Since my expectations can sometimes sour my opinion (pun intended, sorry) I'll pick up another bottle now that I know what to expect from it.

Curious to hear the little green bastard's thoughts on this one.

[swenocha]

I will let you know after the January tasting (mid-month). I will definitely be opening that one for that event. Thanks again... I hope you enjoy the Yazoo and New Holland that's coming back atcha...

[Kealia]

I recently had their Blueberry Sour and it was uh-mazing. I picked up another bottle of this as well since I think I was coming down with a cold when I tried it on New Year's Eve. I've been LOVING their sours so I want another crack at this one!