- My Rating: [C+], I gave it a (3.2 of 5) on Ratebeer.com
Farmer’s Reserve Blueberry (Sour ale aged in wine barrels with blueberries) – Almanac Beer Company, 7% ABV – 12.68 fl.oz., (San Jose, California, USA)
on the front-bottom label:
“Every year, the blueberry harvest heralds the coming of summer. We selected the very best hand-picked berries grown in the hills of Butte County, California, and added them to a sour golden ale aged in wine barrels. The resulting beer is infused with the essence of these hewl-like berries, creating a fruity character reminiscent of mom’s blueberry pie and a reminder of long summer days.”
- https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d404903.0631100169!2d-122.4171290248858!3d37.5478730839399!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x808f80ee2e7a0aa1%3A0xfcb30ea0db53e644!2sAlmanac+Beer+Co!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sca!4v1511865253812
- Style: (flavoured – blueberry, wine barrel-aged) Sour Ale
- Taste: Huge sour pukey blueberry-red wine vinegary blackberry tart acidity
- Where I got it : High Point / Vancouver
- How much: $13.10 CAD (after 20% off) – 12.68 fl.oz., October 2016
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: no
- Recommended: only if you love sours
- What made a impression: aggressively sour, but still sippable
Visual: (cellared for 1 year). Pours clear garnet red without a significant head, thin ringed retention, lots of active tight micro streams.
Nose: blueberry overtones, sour pukey funk. Not too enticing. (lvl-6)-pungency
Attack: big puckery sour
Mid-palate: (lvl-3-sweetness), blueberry vinegar, red wine vinegar, blackberry
Finish: lengthy wet woody funk, lingering tart acidity
Summary: Big sourness from start to finish with decent juiciness in the mids, with enough balance to make it continuously sippable. Although not my favourite style, this exhibits an underlying composed sense of quality in craftsmanship.