Orpheus Coffee Minotaur
Orpheus Coffee Minotaur is an American Wild Ale aged in whiskey barrels with Java Lords coffee, 8% ABV. No bottle or best by date. I dropped a few bucks on this 22oz bottle (about $18 if I remember correctly), but I was rather intrigued by the possible combination of flavors in this Sour Ale.
An interesting looking beer for sure. The color is a combination of muddy brown and cherry red which turns to a golden orange when held to the sunlight. The head never really existed at all. There is quite the collection of yeast swirling and floating in the bottom of the bottle, so you might want to try and keep that in mind when pouring this beer. Wow, I really love the aroma of this beer. The coffee is most dominate, but before too long you can start to get notes of the whiskey and just a hint of sour fruit. A similar combination of flavor comes out in the taste, but the coffee is much less intense. General sourness hits my taste buds first but there are several layers of flavor: dark fruit, chocolate, coffee, a little caramel, tart grape skin, mild oak, and some alcohol bite and taste from the whiskey barrel. The aftertaste has the coffee lingering in the perfect amount. Not an insanely sour beer, but it gets its point across. The carbonation in the bottle is on the low side, but given the complex array of flavors it works for me.
A unique beer to say the least. This is not a combination of flavor that will work for everyone, but I found it incredibly compelling.
