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(512) Wild Bear
(512) Brewing Company
- From:
- (512) Brewing Company
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- Wild Ale
- ABV:
- 9%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.8 | pDev: 15%
- Reviews:
- 17
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 23, 2021
- Added:
- Nov 17, 2011
- Wants:
- 21
- Gots:
- 28
(512)'s first excursion into the world of so-called wild fermentation, Wild Bear's origins lie in our Fall seasonal, BRUIN. After primary fermentation, we added Brettanomyces yeast and Pediococcus bacteria cultures, and aged the blend in new oak barrels for over 10 months. This combination of wild "bugs" and barrel aging gives (512) Wild Bear a complex and enticing aroma of tart cherries, oak, and a touch of barnyard "funkiness", a crisp, tart flavor that will intensify with age, and an effervescent, oaky finish that leaves the palate clean.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by kevinscott:
More User Ratings:
Rated by Lebowskied from Texas
1.39/5 rDev -63.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1
1.39/5 rDev -63.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1
First time I've spit out a beer. Sorry, I hate leaving negative reviews, and I love 512.
Feb 09, 2017Reviewed by Premo88 from Texas
4.27/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev +12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.25
25.4 oz. bomber poured into tulip
(brewed Jan. 2015, bottled Sept. 2016 printed on label; also 8.5% ABV printed on label)
L: dark brown, clear, pushes up 1-inch head of beige foam on strong pour; it's dark and hard to see through but appears it may be clear ... crystal clear; dark amber-orange, burnt orange, almost into purple ... but, yes, it's light enough to see through it up to light, nice clarity; no major sticking or lacing but keeps a thick collar and most of a skin; about 10-15 minutes in, the skin disappears ... noticeably disappears ... but the collar is still hanging around; if this brew stuck and laced, it's be a candidate for a 5
S: tart toasted cranberries, fingernail polish remover -- those dominate, then way back there hiding in the shadows of the barn is a bit of previously wet grain sack now dried out ... not "clean" as in out of the washing machine clean, but clean as in it's not still wet and growing mold and mildew; might be the mildest but still distinct fingernail polish remover note I've come across -- it's *always* there, but it's never sharp or overpowering ... perhaps a better descriptor: lemon-raspberry
T: almost 1:1 following the nose with a minor adjustment -- a little more tart earthy flavor and toasted cranberries and a little less fingernail polish remover; as it warms and the palate adjusts, a bit of raspberry and blackberry, the more tart ones that haven't found their sweetness yet; as it warms more, some sweetness shows up just often enough to really make this tasty ... it's like those few grains of salt or sugar that bring out the flavors even more
F: lightweight but filled out by good carbonation ... very easy to sip but also easy to handle a midsize quaff; not watery but definitely light; perfect ... as good as my favorite American-made farmhouse ales and wilds with the bigger ABV in a lighter vessel
O: wonderful ... a treat of a beer for my particular tastes buds, for it's very reminiscent of a Flanders red or oud bruin with the nice toasted malt flavors blending into the sour flavors, and I love those styles and that mix; when those toasted cranberries offer up some sweetness, my goodness! you get some raspberry/blackberry flavor and want to start drinking it like it's a 3% kriek lambic. I will buy this beer over and over ... a perfect summer brew and a perfect "sour" fix whenever you want.
Jan 15, 2017(brewed Jan. 2015, bottled Sept. 2016 printed on label; also 8.5% ABV printed on label)
L: dark brown, clear, pushes up 1-inch head of beige foam on strong pour; it's dark and hard to see through but appears it may be clear ... crystal clear; dark amber-orange, burnt orange, almost into purple ... but, yes, it's light enough to see through it up to light, nice clarity; no major sticking or lacing but keeps a thick collar and most of a skin; about 10-15 minutes in, the skin disappears ... noticeably disappears ... but the collar is still hanging around; if this brew stuck and laced, it's be a candidate for a 5
S: tart toasted cranberries, fingernail polish remover -- those dominate, then way back there hiding in the shadows of the barn is a bit of previously wet grain sack now dried out ... not "clean" as in out of the washing machine clean, but clean as in it's not still wet and growing mold and mildew; might be the mildest but still distinct fingernail polish remover note I've come across -- it's *always* there, but it's never sharp or overpowering ... perhaps a better descriptor: lemon-raspberry
T: almost 1:1 following the nose with a minor adjustment -- a little more tart earthy flavor and toasted cranberries and a little less fingernail polish remover; as it warms and the palate adjusts, a bit of raspberry and blackberry, the more tart ones that haven't found their sweetness yet; as it warms more, some sweetness shows up just often enough to really make this tasty ... it's like those few grains of salt or sugar that bring out the flavors even more
F: lightweight but filled out by good carbonation ... very easy to sip but also easy to handle a midsize quaff; not watery but definitely light; perfect ... as good as my favorite American-made farmhouse ales and wilds with the bigger ABV in a lighter vessel
O: wonderful ... a treat of a beer for my particular tastes buds, for it's very reminiscent of a Flanders red or oud bruin with the nice toasted malt flavors blending into the sour flavors, and I love those styles and that mix; when those toasted cranberries offer up some sweetness, my goodness! you get some raspberry/blackberry flavor and want to start drinking it like it's a 3% kriek lambic. I will buy this beer over and over ... a perfect summer brew and a perfect "sour" fix whenever you want.
Reviewed by BKotch from Texas
4.15/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.15/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Update based on the 2016 bottling. Ratings were previously based on the 2015 bottling. Coincidentally, I had a Rodenbach Grand Cru 750 last night (yeah, I know that's a Flanders red and this is based on 512's double brown). I'm raising the smell from 3.75 to 4.00, the flavor from 4 to 4.25, and the overall from 4 to 4.25. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but this is beginning to approach the classic Flemish beers.
Dec 29, 2015
(512) Wild Bear from (512) Brewing Company
Beer rating:
86 out of
100 with
95 ratings
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