hopdog (4649), Lansdale, Pennsylvania, USA Jul 21, 2008 750ml bottle shared thanks to Ughsmash (thanks!). Poured a medium and cloudy orangish / amber color with an averaged sized, pinkish tinged, head. Aromas of blackberries, some funkiness, wood, other berries, and musty. Tastes of blackberries, vanilla, funk, wood, and musty. Light tart finish. This one grew on me the more I drank it. BBB63 (3810), La Porte, Indiana, USA Oct 1, 2007 Updated: Oct 4, 2008 RERATE 2008 Batch (4.0) and shared with tjthresh at brewery: Crimson red and minimal head and lace. The aroma is a touch funky and barnyard but really is more acidic and medicinal driven with a mild fruity component. The taste is indeed sour and acidic but there is a good amount of mild malt and yeast to counteract that. The finish is a touch astringent and has a quick note of iodine. Very refreshing palate and crisp yet soft too. Very good and better than last year when the Blackberry was my least favorite of the initial releases.
INITIAL REVIEW 2007 (3.4): 750ml corked bottle ($15) and bought at brewery: Clean ruby and deep amber hue with a ring of fizzy white foam and some lace. I expected this to be a bit darker. The aroma has notes of both sweet and tart blackberries, some sugar, an earthiness from the yeast, very faint brett and wood. The nose is less tart and funky than either the Upland Blueberry or Raspberry Lambics I have had so far and also has a hint of soapy vapour.
The taste starts fruity and mildly tart. The midsection is tad grainy and the finish is very mild funk and wood. Much like the nose, the taste seems less powerful, tart or complex. The mouth feel is lively and refreshing.
Overall I like this less than the other two I have had so far. I think the fruit was likely sweeter and the fact I prefer the other fruits more anyway. Still it is far from bad and does have enough tartness and funk to make it far better than the crappy cloy plambics on the market. bu11zeye (3780), Frisco, Texas, USA Sep 14, 2008 (750ml bottle) Pours a cloudy glowing amber body with a small off-white head. Aroma of blackberry, earthiness, wood, light perfume, some candy, and a little horse blanket. Flavor of sour blackberries, earthiness, brett, and oak. thedm (3406), Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA Feb 1, 2008 This draft brew from a beer festival poured a medium sized head of clear colored bubbles that were quickly diminishing and left behind a hazy uncarbonated brown colored body. The aroma was lambic like and mild blueberry. The mouth feel was very tingly at the start and at the finish. The flavor contained notes of blueberry and dry. A decent one but not one that I would consider buying again. jjpm74 (3127), Stratford, CT 06614, Connecticut, USA May 10, 2008 750ml bottle courtesy of yjb. Pours a pinkish amber with a thin white fizzy head. Smells of sweet sugar, some blackberries, very perfumy, bretty, funky, wheat. Tastes tarte and dry with some decent underlying sourness. The blackberries lend a nice character to this beer. Palate is dry. Finish has a nice tarteness with some residual sugar. More of a sour ale hybrid than a lambic, but a great beer. I hope this brewer puts out more of these experiments.
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