Barrique Kieffer Pear
Before opening:
Alc by vol. 6.8%
Bottled: Nov 25, 2020 / Released 3/13/21 / Purchased 03/13/21 / Opened 03/13/21
Style: Sour Blonde Ale
Sour Blonde Ale with local kieffer pears from 75 year old estate trees.
Additional notes:This beer is a blend of the 2nd and 4th batches ever brewed at Barrique was refermented on fresh black plums. Bottled May 2019, this funk forward and low acid beer was allowed 17 months in the bottle to condition properly.
Beer Experience:
Poured from 500ml bottle into a pint glass (A favorite glass of mine from Torched Hop – ATL)
Appearance: Pours a nice golden and pear juice/honey-ish (darker/mellow yellow) like color and little hazy on appearance. Very little head retention and dissipates quickly. Small neat ring of tight bubbles through pour and at end of pour as they disappeared.
Aroma: Funky. Sorta oaky. Similar smell to other funky aged beers with fruits.
Taste: Very tart with a slight sour taste. A nice touch of pears to the body of the flavor! Has a good twang and thump on the pallet when drinking it. Very effervescent. Tingly. The flavor and complexity really shows as you continue your way through on this one as well.
Finish: Finishes soft and quite mellow very similar to the plums release I had earlier this year.
Summary: These beverages are still probably too complex for my level of dissertation on sours. I gotta put my time in though! However, if you enjoy wines and sour beers, even funk beers, this would be a great subject for your mouth to get wet on. There is a mild bitterness that lingers, as a friend – not an enemy. It’s a wonderful take with plums and has a nice ume/umami hit to it. I really enjoyed this and should get more Barrique style under my belt!
