Shared by a local. Poured a murky reddish-brown with a thin beige head that diminished to a ring. Aroma of tart cherries, light barnyard funk, sour yeast, and some oak. Smooth, tart entry leads into some sour cherry with a funky, sour middle transitioning with some earthy yeastiness and a bit of drying oak. Moderate carbonation, dry and biting on the palate. Pretty good for a first try.

<b>Batch 49, Brewed October 2006; Sampled November 2008</b><br /> A reasonable pour easily produces a three-finger thick, tan colored head. The beer is quite a bit darker than I was expecting with a deeply blackened, concentrated amber color. When held up to the light the beer shows a fairly clear, deep red / concentrated cranberry color. The aroma is nicely sour with a solid funkiness to it as well as well as a solid oak contribution. Sour notes of tamarind, red-wine vinegar and sour berry notes up front are offset by a spicy oak note towards the finish. I like that the sourness here is both acetic and lactic in character, there is also a nice funkiness to this beer with light notes of mustard, some acetone and a touch of mustiness. As my nose gets used to this some bright cherry notes start to become noticeable, the oak takes on a nutty note as well as accentuating a spiciness that make some nasal warming character (even a bit too hot at times) a bit more noticeable.<br /><br /> Tart and dry up front, though it seems to pick up a touch of sweetness that is just faintly noticeable towards the middle. This has a medium heft to it that is akin to a Flemish like sour; the light acetic notes also contribute to this. The oak character is a bit more mellow than the aroma would have suggested, still there is a nice light tannic character here, a touch of spicy oak, and perhaps even a touch of butterscotch. I like how the tartness here brings out flavors of red-wine vinegar, perhaps a touch of balsamic, some raspberry touches and some pale cherry notes. This has a nice malty backbone that contributes a solid caramel note, a nice nutty note (almost sherry leaning at times) and a solid, soft toasted grain character.<br /><br /> This is a nice example of a Sour Brown; it captures the richness yet quaffability that is requisite of the style. Definitely quite tasty!

Batch 49. Brewed 10/10/06, best by 3/4/11, consumed 11/16/08. A dark and dense cherrywood body is capped with a thick, lasting layer of creamy, tan colored foam. The head leaves solid walls of lacing that slowly dribble back towards the body, scant lines and spots remaining behind. Aromas are beautiful, notes of sour cherry, fig, funky, musty oak, and chocolaty tobacco kick things off. A touch of balsamic vinegar lends a quirky tartness, while the saturated oak offers up a warm, sherry-like quality. Flavors are similar, starting out with sour, funky wood notes, cocoa powder, tart cherries and sweet fig. Cinnamon and clove enter the fold, lending a distinct, earthy spiciness. The oak influence is very vinous, overall, which works well with the sweet-tart, fruity elements at hand. Substantial and smooth, almost creamy in the mouth, the sourness really starts to hit underneath the tongue. This reminds me a lot of Struise Earthmonk, just not quite as masterfully done. Still, this is a might good Flemish red. Bravo.

<b>Bottle 50cl. @ TFODRBSG 2008, Ulfborg, Denmark</b><br />Unclear medium amber red brown color with a virtually none head. Aroma is berry, sour, wood. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and sour with a long duration. Body is medium, texture is watery to oily, carbonation is soft. (230808)

Bottle (BB Apr/2011). Head is initially small, frothy/fizzy, light brown, mostly diminishing. Body is cloudy dark reddish-brown, bottle conditioned. Aroma is lightly malty (roasted nuts, toasted grain, caramel), lightly yeasty (cobwebs), with notes of nutmeg/allspice, wood, cherry, sour apple skins. Flavor is moderately to heavily sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly to moderately sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, lightly to moderately bitter. Medium to full body, watery/velvety texture, lively carbonation, moderately alcoholic. It didn’t really knock me out like I hoped it might, but it’s a solid, fun beer.