Family Ale
The Willows Family Ales

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From:
The Willows Family Ales
 
Oklahoma, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
7%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.86 | pDev: 9.33%
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
100
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 23, 2019
Added:
May 07, 2014
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  21
An American Sour Ale.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled spring 2014; drank 11/1/14 @ the Yarchives.

Rich orange cloudiness in appearance.

HUGE white head (careful pouring!); almost no lace.

Dry apple nose; champagne-like.

Medium thin mouthfeel with a champagne bite.

Tastes like apple champagne; satisfyingly tart & enjoyable.
Oct 23, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by vfgccp from New York

Nov 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.94 by Bunuelian from Minnesota

May 20, 2018
 
Rated: 3.49 by Jhfinn from New York

Jan 13, 2018
Photo of Jugs_McGhee
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Brief impressions from a bottle purchased at least a year ago.

BOTTLE: 1 pint 9.4 fl oz format. Unbranded pry-off crown cap. Brown glass. Comically horrific label art.

7% ABV. "American sour ale."

Served cold into a tulip and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption.

Immediately I suspect overcarbonation; there's some light surging of foam immediately upon opening the bottle.

HEAD: Pours almost entirely head in my tulip (~90% of the glass is uneven foam) further indicating potential overcarbonation or overpressurization in the bottle. Thin and weak, with the head quickly receding as foamy bubbles pop and die; this moves from 90% of the glass to ~15% within 1 minute, taking another minute beyond that to fully recede. That 2 minute total retention is forgivable at 7% ABV, but the head consistency is poor. Off-white in colour. Not at all robust. No lacing adheres to the sides of my tulip as the head recedes.

BODY: Gorgeous vibrant gold. Appears filtered; not hazy or cloudy or anything. There's no yeast/lees visible within. Clean and enticing, with a great colour and brightness to it.

Appears overcarbonated. Not unique looking within the style, but its gold body is a standout.

AROMA: White wine/white grapes, Belgian yeast replete with soft pear fruit esters, muted oak, golden malts, lovely floral hop aromatics, ample microflora, mild (~4/10) sourness. Hints of green apple and apple cidre are present...evocative more of a Brittany cidre than one of those overly sweet American or European ciders. Some spice is present as well - probably from the yeast - clove, white pepper, pink peppercorn.

No phenols from the yeast. No off-notes.

It's astoundingly pleasant and inviting, suggesting a lively ale with good balance in spite of its diversity of flavour and complexity. Still, for a beer billed as an American sour ale it's surprisingly lacking in terms of sourness, acidity, and/or funkiness; I get no brettanomyces funkiness, barnyard character, or overt bacteria. Nevertheless, its twangy microfloral aromatics are indicative perhaps of wild yeast(s), and it's a very interesting aroma overall.

Aromatic intensity is average.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Hmm...there's definitely some hints of off-flavour here, but I'd call them tolerable faults. Mild acetaldehyde indicated by loads of green apple flavour. Off-putting leathery notes. The modest (~5/10) sourness is nice, but there's some bacterial/wild yeast flavour in there that is undesirable. I like that it isn't just a lactobacillus bomb, and the microfloral flavours are a highlight, but some fermenting organism is in there that oughtn't be.

In spite of its trying off-flavours, it's an interesting brew. Brittany cidre-like apple cidre notes, a blip of oak or cedar wood, floral hop flavours, golden malts, 2-row/pale malts, lactic acid, barrel vanillin...there's plenty here for the discerning drinker to dig into. It could be better balanced as well as more focused, but overall it's pleasant and enjoyable with good depth of flavour.

Prickly, crisp, smooth, wet, somewhat refreshing, light to medium-bodied, blatantly overcarbonated, and approachable. Not oily, gushed, hot, boozy, astringent, harsh, rough, or scratchy. Boasts a nice overall presence on the palate, but aside from its crisp prickly feel playing well with the apple notes, this mouthfeel doesn't really accentuate specific flavours or elevate the beer as a whole.

More acidity and sourness are needed to help take this to the next level. A more obvious barrel presence would help, whether white oak or champagne.

OVERALL: This cedary cidery brew is a treat from a brewery I've never had any other beers from, and were it not for its off-flavours and wanting bacterial presence might be world class fare. It's clear the brewmaster has learned a great deal during his time at Prairie Artisan Ales, and I can't wait to try more beers in Willows Family Ales' lineup. A drinkable sour ale I'd happily buy future batches of...if this is what the brewery can do in its relative infancy, I can't wait to see what's on the horizon. Really remarkable stuff.

Low B (3.55) / GOOD

Some drinkers may note unpleasant hints of damp wood and/or butyric acid.
Aug 09, 2017
 
Rated: 3.78 by Kevin67 from Arkansas

May 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.03 by hvy1 from Maine

Jan 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.45 by JamFuel from Sweden

Oct 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by MSandahl23 from Indiana

Jul 27, 2015
 
Rated: 3.33 by my_knew_craft from Massachusetts

Jul 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by petermethot from New Jersey

May 21, 2015
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.24/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
despite having one of the weirdest and most disturbing labels in all of beer, the stuff in the bottle is awesome, and a heck of an introduction. i thought this was a collaboration with prairie, but its not listed as such here. its a pleasant wild ale, distinct in its brett profile, i think the time its spent in my cellar has helped it mature. soft red color, between amber and bronze, and with some cloudiness as is expected in the style. head is really fizzy, off white, and lasting. tons and tons of funk to the nose, with no appreciable acidity. its rare to get this much brett and saison type funk without any lacto sour at all, and thats whats going on here, and i really appreciate it. the flavor is true to the nose, and the brett is the main flavor agent in this one for sure, although the slightly bigger and in fact richer malt profile gives the beer a dry creaminess on the palate, and makes it both satisfying and refreshing. i love how dry it is, how i get wet wood and ripe fruit in it, and how for as many wild ales as i have had, this is proof that it can still be done differently. special beer, with the price. i hope colorado sees another release form these guys, this one was a total winner.
May 18, 2015
 
Rated: 3.99 by ChrisChagnon from Connecticut

May 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.27 by ShemRahBoo from New Jersey

May 01, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by Tommo from Massachusetts

Apr 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.57 by kylehay2004 from Illinois

Apr 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.52 by Jbrett13 from Oklahoma

Apr 15, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by NJBeer265 from New Jersey

Mar 29, 2015
Photo of wheresblue
Rated by wheresblue from Oklahoma

4.81/5  rDev +24.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Fantastic smell, followed by a great funky sour.
Mar 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.09 by Shawner from Minnesota

Mar 22, 2015
Family Ale from The Willows Family Ales
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 100 ratings