Bullfrog Beekeeper

Formerly brewed at Bullfrog Brewery
Style: Sour Ale
Williamsport, Pennsylvania USA

730, capped and foiled. Thanks, MJ! Wow, what a treat. Pours deep dark brown, very caramelly. Makes you think of jadwiga, maybe, for a minute there. Bit of head, virtually no lace, and the carb doesn’t stick around long. Big strawberry/balsamic tartness in the nose, along with some earthy honey tang and tannic red wininess. Gorgeous creamy body carries tons of sugary honey, vanilla, some tannic red wine, light touches of dark spices. Very complex and rewarding.

Aroma is slightly acidic, has a hint of some sweetness, seems like clove (...honey?). Flavour is slightly sweet and has hints of honey. The sour kicks in nicely but makes it difficult for me to get the subtleties out of this beer. Has a dry finish with a quick bit of cherry at the end.

Served back to back with the Beesting Saison. The pour yields a hazy, glowing, golden-orange color with a tight, foamy, pure white cap. Some nice, sticky rings of lacing circle the glass. The aroma is both striking and beautiful, with heaps of acetic sourness, tannic grape skins, brash oak, and wild, bretty funk. Traces of apricot and orchard fruit comes through, with the faintest possible touch of crystallized honey residue. Flavors are again strikingly sour, tart apricot emerging as a dominant component, with a bevy of soured light fruits and mounds of funky, sour oak barrel. Vinous and tannic, the Cabernet grapes add an awesome touch. Balanced, fine carbonation, and a puckering, acetic, sour finish are almost perfect. It’s amazing how much this beer differs from the base Saison. Absolutely stunning brew. This is an elite American sour ale, worthy of its lofty praise.

Man was this good. Tons of crazy flavors. Aroma has tons of tartness, sour cherry, grape, wood, wine. Taste is nice and tart. Cherry and grape skin with wood and some alcohol. But nice and sour and delicious. Nice winey characters. Dry finish and very inviting.

Bottle… C&P’sLYFO Throwdown… Cloudy caramel-colored ale with no real head. The aroma consists of caramel sweetness, sour apple and lactic acid. Full-bodied and creamy with modest carbonation. The flavor is moderately bitter, but this brew’s funkiness, fruitiness and acidity outshine all else. Finishes sour, minerally, and then dry. The vinous, acidic, fruity notes acquired from the Cabernet barrel and wild yeast really transform what was once a saison into a very nice Flanders red! Big thanks to Beerlando for sharing the bottle! Video = http://homepage.mac.com/maltajo/RATEBEER/iMovieThe

750ml bottle (thanks Tom!). I’ve had this before and glad I waited to rate it until I had time to really give it some justice. Poured a deeper and cloudy amber (almost brown) color with an averaged sized off white head. Lots of big floaters at the bottom of the bottle. Aromas were very and nicely vinous (Cabernet), grapes, woody, a little funky, and light honey.Tastes of the same vinousness, funky, woody, vanilla, cherries, earthy, and grapes. I was really into the Cabernet barrel aging. Lively body with a dry finish. I wish I bought a lot more of these when I had the chance!

Bottle. Sea O’Floydster epic tasting, post PP Belgian Fest. Thanks Carlos for bringing this bottle. Big red wine flavors against a fruity, sour base. Tart. Nice wheat component to smooth things out a bit. Lively. Slight raspberry notes. Caramel notes. Very good, and quite interesting to have this side by side with the base beer (BeeSting). Highly recommended.

FRO throwdown: Awesome one from beerlando. Dark amber. Sour and barnyard funk come through in the the heavily honeyed meady nose. Heat comes in at the finish from alcohol, but its not bad. Fully sweet like a mead but balanced by a bretty tartness, what a cool combo this one is.