Arbor Cellar Select Special Reserve

In short: Innovative take on the Sour Ale genre. Unique experiment and excellent.
How: Bottle 750ml, 2004 vintage (only year this was made I believe) at a tasting session with Montreal crew
The look: Cloudy golden copper body topped by an off-white ring of foam
In long: Lots of oak barrel character. Although the beer has a strong Flemish Sour personality its complex and strong fruity flavours do not focus on cherries and sourness. A unexpected balsamic vinegar taste that somehow doesn’t feel like an “off’ flavour. A little band-aid taste that again fits in nicely. Light-medium sourness level, less than average for the style. Despite a wide array of flavours the body felt a bit empty. Indisputably original, an acquired taste. Although the beer is supposedly aged in Hanssens barrels, there was no funk/lambic flavours noticeable. Some will complain about the hefty price tag of $20/750ml but that didn’t bother me at all, although the fact that beerbuzzmontreal paid for the bottle probably helped in that regard.

Pours a hazy amber color with a medium offwhite head. Superb aroma of sourness, wood, fruits and vinegar. The flavor has the same balanced blend of vinegar, sourness, wood and fruits. The body is medium with a liquorous texture and gentle carbonation. Solid and surprising.

Objectively speaking: Unique and most intriguing experiment. 2004 old ale that got very attenuated (and yeasty) in a Hanssens barrel.
I like: Very complex aroma. Woody. Good attenuation. Cherries. Earthy. Innovation. Balanced sourness.
I dislike: Dull muddy appearance. Poor head retention. Oxidation notes. Overly balsamic. Rubbery nose. Exagerated band-aid notes. Very, very unclean. Saltiness. Biting carbonation despite the lousy looks. Tough to drink despite a light body. 20$ / 750mL.

My Bottom Line:
Lush cherries mature into a wise red wine which transcends its Old Ale origins and transports this base beer to an out-of-this-world earthy and fruity Sour Ale with complex peppery nuances. This is one of those highly successful experimental ales which can instill passion for our usually humble beverage of choice.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A slice of foam stands atop the cloudy red brown.
-Carbonation is expansive and too effervescent, which does not allow us to fully enjoy the plethora of flavors at play.
-The sourness is levelled with the sweet fruitiness of the Old Ale malt profile.
-That fruity/sour tango is long and lustful.
-Despite its gravity, this is amazingly drinkable.
-I am surprised that this hasn’t been rated much. Sour Ale lovers, get out to Ann Arbor and ask for it!

Bottle; 2004 vintage.

2004 Cellar Select. 750mL. Aroma of speckled fruit, with almonds, apples, unripe nectarines and puckering wildness. Delightful. Pours a golden amber not too tawny. Large soap slide down the glass in white. Flavor is an explosive salt peppercorns, sweet plum, salty ham and all the terrific perfumes of coconut, pineapple and hibiscus. Smacks on a bit of EKG. Delicious. Woody essence and lots of vinous tooth. Besides a little lack of body in the rear, this beer is absolutely deft and one of the best American sours. All the things you want and none of the stuff you don’t. Plenty of unique spice character, great cottony funk, and the Old Ale provide fun malt background. A true gem. Thanks Sean!

Bottle purchased at the brewery in 2006. 2004, 750 bottle. Pours a cedar color with light haze and a lasting head. The aroma is clearly lambic influenced. Tart lambic styled fruit that is crisp and complex with just a twinge of vinegar. The flavor is also lambic influenced but not nearly as much as the aroma might suggest. It is tart with fruit that I would call unripe raspberry and lemon rind. There is an underlying maltyness that comes through sufficiently well but it is secondary. I guess that speaks to the potentness of their old ale that this is derived from. There is a significant amount of oak to this one and a bitter finish. Again, tart medium body. I’m glad I enjoyed this one with friends as I don’t think I could have finished the whole thing by myself. Not, perhaps, worth the 25.00 I paid for it but cheers to Arbor brewing for trying this experiment.