The Dogmatist
Leelanau Brewing Company

This started out really promising. Poured a darker shade of blond ale with a really nice strawberry, oak, sour smell. It is mildly sour with some barrel presence. The aftertaste bitterness was overwhelming for me. Here is my bottom line. It is decent beer but at around $10/bottle it has some stiff competition and it just did not stand out for me.

A: The beer is hazy yellow in color. It poured with a short white head that died down, leaving lacing on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of whiskey are present in the nose.
T: Light to moderate aromas of sourness are present in the taste along with some notes of whiskey from the barrel aging.
M: It feels just about medium-bodied and slightly tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I found this beer to be rather unique and interesting as it was both sour and also had flavors of whiskey from the barrel aging, neither of which was overpowering.

Serving type: bottle

 

 

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 12/8/2016. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy golden orange color with a 1-2 finger dense and rocky off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of tart lemon, lime, strawberry, peach, pear, green apple, melon, white wine, citrus peel, peppercorn, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, hay, straw, grass, leather, musty funk, honey, white bread, light white vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, strawberries, whiskey barrels, and pale malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big tart/sour lemon, lime, strawberry, peach, pear, green apple, melon, white wine, citrus peel, peppercorn, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, hay, straw, grass, leather, musty funk, honey, white bread, light white vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness and yeast/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour lemon, lime, strawberry, peach, pear, green apple, melon, white wine, citrus peel, peppercorn, vanilla, whiskey, toasted oak, hay, straw, grass, leather, musty funk, honey, white bread, white vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, strawberries, whiskey barrels, and pale malt flavors; with a nice malt/tart/sour/spiciness balance. Slight pucker/astringency through the glass, but not overwhelming. Light-moderate increasing dryness from tart/sourness and yeast/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy, and sticky/acidic/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6.5%. Overall this is a very nice fruited sour/wild ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, strawberries, whiskey barrels, and pale malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink; despite the increasingly lactic/tannic/drying finish. Classic JP house funk, great whiskey barrel presence for a sour, and nice malt balance. Quite a bit more lactic and barnyard funky than usual, but really enjoyable.