Deschutes The Dissident 2012 Reserve

Deschutes The Dissident is a Flanders Oud Bruin. This beer is a blend: 20% aged in French oak wine barrels, 80% brewed with cherries and fermented with a wild yeast strain. The bottle says this is best after 8/20/13, this bottle was opened on 02/04/14. The pour is a bit cloudy with an expected fresh cherry red hue, the two finger head dissipated very quickly. This smell tremendous, candy sweetness and tangy cherries dominate. Kind of crazy complex at the first sip, my palate is really going to need some time to adjust. The taste starts with an initial rush of candy sugar sweetness, followed by lots of bitter/dry oak. The cherries are a big component but never overtake the beer, that flavor comes in about half-way through the taste and lingers well into the aftertaste. More dry oak also joins the cherries in the aftertaste. Only slightly sour at this point (I’d call it more tart) with a bit of funk that really subsides as it warms up. This is something I will definitely try to snag again in the future.