Funk Ecarlate
Brasserie Dunham

 

another killer beer from one of my favorite breweries. this is a fouder aged grisette with tart cherries in it, and it downright fantastic. a bright ruby red color to it with a soft uniform haze and a tall almost pure white head rising up, really vibrant coloring on this, and a lot of cherries in the nose too, tangy and puckery against a lightly woody and highly vinous background, funky and bretty along with the cleaner fruity acidity, a cool back and forth there, and it certainly is makes my mouth water. the flavor is killer, i thought from the color that it would just be cherry juice, its so bright, but there is a surprising degree of depth to this, a raw wheaty sort of agricultural base to this, with some sturdy oak, and notes of white wine, dry straw, and mature brett. there is a little sweetness from the fruit which is nice though this, especially against the sourness at the climax, but the wood also mellows some of that, and as well developed as the funk is here, the beer also has a certain summery freshness about it that i really like. this time of year, i could see something like this with cranberries working really well, but the cherry is universal and its delicious. the fruited wild beers from dunham have been amazing lately, as good as anything else out there in the style. these guys deserve way more love and attention from the nerds!