Bristol Skull & Bones Oud Bruin

GABF 2004; sampled st the festival, rating from notes taken then. Smells of port, cherry, caramelized sugars, and a musty attic highlight the wonderful nose. Tastes strongly of warm cherry surrounded by acidic citrus and some acrid earthy flavors; sweet on the finish. Funky yeastiness there too. Good beer.

Smells fantastic, raisins and caramels. Sour for sure, the raspberries are more evident in the brew than in the aroma. Had on site at the brewery, sad they wouldn’t let me take them out of the building.

Bottle. Pours dark brown with black and ruby notes with no head. Cherry and dark berry aromas with faint citrus hop notes and light grain malt. Black sour cherry and hoppy flavors with oak and alcohol notes, a bit like cough syrup in tartness. Silky and light bodied, thin feel.

Deep-brown beer; brown huge head, fast dissipated. Nose gives lactic acid, even Brett. character; hint of cherries smell. The typical lactic acid tastes sit very uneasy (putting it mildly) on stout-like malt. To make things worse, the beer is overcarbonated. Medium to full bodied. Characterised by its unbalance, this beer has no chance to compete against real Flemish (or nearly real as La Folie) oud bruins. Somebody tell them to get their malts right.