The Heart Desires
Thornbridge Brewery
- From:
- Thornbridge Brewery
- England, United Kingdom
- Style:
- Wild Ale
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- +5 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.27 | pDev: 4.68%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 27, 2025
- Added:
- Oct 28, 2016
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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-
This beer is part of a project we have been working on at the brewery for a few years now. We wanted to create a modern sour aged in barrels, with the same complexity and depth of flavour which our favourite sours from the USA offer. This beer started life as a simple blonde ale with low bitterness and was fermented with our house yeast. We then aged this in Burgundy barrels with fruit for well over a year.
Adding cultures of Brettanomyces, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus at set points let us sour the beer gradually over many months and give layers of flavour that can only be developed over time. The fruit aroma and flavours complement the sharp sourness which subsides for more malt and yeast character to come through. The resulting beer is a clean, zingy and intense blend of fruit tartness with intimations of crisp Sauvignon Blanc grapes
Adding cultures of Brettanomyces, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus at set points let us sour the beer gradually over many months and give layers of flavour that can only be developed over time. The fruit aroma and flavours complement the sharp sourness which subsides for more malt and yeast character to come through. The resulting beer is a clean, zingy and intense blend of fruit tartness with intimations of crisp Sauvignon Blanc grapes
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by vinicole from England
4.05/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.05/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottle. Vintage 2018. Unfiltered, unpasteurised and perhaps conditioned. Almost clear gold. No head.
A heady smell of decomposing orchard fruits, gooseberries and forest soil.
An immediate sour flavour of hedgerow fruits upon tasting.
A sharp feel. Quite refreshing. Has some viscosity about it.
Very well made yet these wild ales remind me too much of farmhouse scrumpy and not beer.
Apr 27, 2025A heady smell of decomposing orchard fruits, gooseberries and forest soil.
An immediate sour flavour of hedgerow fruits upon tasting.
A sharp feel. Quite refreshing. Has some viscosity about it.
Very well made yet these wild ales remind me too much of farmhouse scrumpy and not beer.
Reviewed by Spike from England
4.14/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.14/5 rDev -3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From a 375ml bottle. Thick, green glass with a champagne cork and agraffe. BBD 28/08/21.
L: Pale gold. Mainly clear (after a careful pour) with some suspended yeast. Many trails of bubbles. Next to no head. Looks like a pale cider.
S: Gooseberry. Sharp, steely, NZ sauvignon blanc.
T: The gooseberries add a rich, sharp, dry tang. Yeast and hints of vinegar. Lots of fruit.
F: Sour...obviously. But not crushingly so. Actually quite luscious. Moderate carbonation.
O: I'm drinking this pretty young. It's been maturing for more than a year but there are nearly 5 years left on the best before date. High minerality, high level of acidity, a great palate cleanser. Very nice. The gooseberries are right up front!
Nov 19, 2016L: Pale gold. Mainly clear (after a careful pour) with some suspended yeast. Many trails of bubbles. Next to no head. Looks like a pale cider.
S: Gooseberry. Sharp, steely, NZ sauvignon blanc.
T: The gooseberries add a rich, sharp, dry tang. Yeast and hints of vinegar. Lots of fruit.
F: Sour...obviously. But not crushingly so. Actually quite luscious. Moderate carbonation.
O: I'm drinking this pretty young. It's been maturing for more than a year but there are nearly 5 years left on the best before date. High minerality, high level of acidity, a great palate cleanser. Very nice. The gooseberries are right up front!
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