Almanac Cerise Sour Blond
Almanac Cerise Sour Blond is an American Wild Ale. Bottled in July of 2014, aged about 7 additional months in the bottle, 7% ABV. A member of the Farm To Barrel Series, from the website: This tart blond ale was brewed with Rainier and Bing cherries from Bella Viva Orchards and fermented with our house sour culture and aged for many months in used wine barrels…
The pour has a golden/redish color with a nice bone white head that quickly setted to nothing. The aroma on this is interesting, not nearly as tart or cherry forward as I expected. It smells kind of sweet and malty with some notes of vanilla and red wine from the barrel aging, slight hints of tart cherries. Zing! Wow, that first sip brings the sour! That big sour rush is followed by some mild cherry, dry oak, definite red wine notes, hints of sweet toffee and vanilla just ahead of a lightly tart finish. The lack of cherries are a bit of a disappointment, but I’m really enjoying this overall.
Although I’m not sure if this will ever be brewed again, I might not make this the centerpiece of a big trade. I would certainly suggest adding this on to round out a trade if you’re into sour ales though. That is how I got my bottle, thanks Corey!
