Mueller Barrel Reserve - 10th Anniversary Edition
Springfield Brewing Company

lantern corps beer summit 2010 - day 2, oct 9/2010. xmarcnolanx contributed this one. thanks marc!

750ml bottle topped with red wax.

pours hazy red-brown. a small tan head forms, quickly dropping to a ring around the glass and leaving spotty lace.

aroma is great. funk! malt vinegar. cider vinegar. lemon. leather and horse blanket. cracker and white bread. light dark fruit character, raisin and date mostly. bit of a tropical fruit edge too.

taste is good. much like the aroma, but with more dark fruit coming through. bit of dark chocolate. low bitterness level. medium acidity. lemony.

mouthfeel is good. light body wiht a dry finish. just over medium carbonation level.

drinkability is great. great balance. nice depth.

Deep mohogany in color with a thick whitish brown head. Cloudy and really quite cool looking.

Smells os Figgy fruit and some malts with a sherry/bourbony nose.

Incredibly sweet and fruity with a rich but smooth malt backbone, figs, cloves, grape and a little bit of apple. really quite a fruity wild ale.

Mouth is viscous and thick but hides the alcohol well. Drinks slowly and with motivation. Not really my style but quite an interesting beer all around.

A soft pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three-finger thick, tan colored head. The beer is a dark amber, red stained color that shows an almost brilliantly clear, light mahogany color when held up to the light. Visually it is well carbonated as there is a lot of bubbles streaming about. The aroma has a huge oak presence that has a big, buttery-oak note to it that is backed by ample vanillin and caramelized wood. Interestingly the tartness that was noticeable as I was visually inspecting this is not as noticeable as the oak character, now that I am focused on the nose. Still there is an underlying tart fruitiness to the aroma. The barrel character also accentuates a nice coconut aromatic note that is quite nice. There seems to be a touch of funky phenolic notes just barely noticeable as a backdrop to the oak. Despite being oak dominated, the aroma is pretty enjoyable and I like how the harsh notes that can sometimes come from barrel aging are missing.

This beer is nicely tart, the sourness reminds me of tamarind, sour plums and actually a fair amount of sour cherry notes. The oak character plays a much more balanced role in the flavor, but it still contributes ample butterscotch notes, a hint of spicy oak and a lingering, toasted coconut note to the finish. This has a nice, aged, caramelized malt character to it that is not quite at the nutty, sherry point in the aging process, but it is getting close. The body of this brew has a nice texture to it; the barrel has contributed a tannic structure and almost velvety texture that pairs quite well with what is left of the caramelized malt fullness; drinkable, yet it has a fullness that cloaks the palate in a velvet-like embrace. The tannins also add a touch of bite to the finish, though most of the bite, that is soft overall, is provided by the spicy oak flavors.

The light tartness in the flavor is nicely balanced by the chewy oak character. The aroma could be a bit more complex, but I can't really ask for much more from an oak dominated nose; the mix of coconut, buttery-oak and soft vanillin is quite nice). This is just a great drinking beer, it is also a great beer to pair with food as the tartness helps it to stand up to much of what you could throw at it; myself I paired it with a Prime Rib eye, brown rice, southern greens and French bread with a herb goat cheese.

750 ml bottle with red wax, acquired this wild ale from a trade with Beertracker, thanks for another trade Jeff, split with my dad tonight, poured into my Duvel tulip glass

A-Medium to dark brown color, som red shines through when held up to the light, one inch creamy beige head that is rather bubbly, does not last long, weak retention, some legs but minimal lacing
S-Smell reminded me of a Flanders at first, some vinegar, very tart overall, some weird vegetable-like smells, oak, brettanomyces, brown sugar, wheat, sour apple, vanilla, and cherries
T-This beer is more funky than sour and more full of wood than any wild ale I have tasted yet, there is lots of vanilla and malt in the middle, the brett gives the taste more of an earthy and dry sensation instead of making a pronounced sour taste, later on I taste a fair amount of lactose and caramel, by the end I tasted some fruits that are mostly berries and sweet vanilla, again there is some tart but nothing too strong unfortunately, just rounds out the taste more than it makes it pop
M-Tarty, slightly sweet, dry, and earthy mouthfeel, medium bodied, medium to strong level of carbonation, taste lingers for a long time, not near as sour as expected but still enjoyable
D-Could drink the whole bottle and that is about it, slightly heavy on the stomach, not overly strong but you can taste some booze, pretty smooth for a tarty beer and especially once it warms, more of a sipper for its style

I was expecting a big tarty taste and instead got a sweet and malty but only slightly sour flavor, still glad I tried it and cool to see Mueller do something cool and adventurous like this for their tenth anniversary, expensive at eighteen bucks a bottle but worth trying once, could possibly age well too, recommended

Had this one at the brewco yesterday. Not the best condition for tasting.

Nothing special in the appearance. First I've had of this style. The smell is very oaky and reminds me of whiskey. Also a little fruity.

Fairly sour and fruity beer. Sort of like a Belgian ale but a little more extreme sourness. Alcohol is pleasantly noticeable. The oakiness sort of overpowers it all. VERY fresh oaky flavor. Tastes like a green cut piece of wood smells if that makes sense.

Overall I'd drink it again if I was looking for something different at the brewco.

Pours a dark brown color, lighter around the edges. A thin tannish head forms and quickly disappears and leaves no lace behind.

The aroma has some interesting notes. Definitely some typical sour qualities showcasing the bret. Some fig and plum, licorice too. A touch of vanilla and a slight bit of alcohol.

The taste is interesting, but not the best wild I've had. Some nice flavors including vanilla and some sherry-like qualities. The brett is not as pronounced as I would have liked. It's tart, but nowhere near the level of Beatification, Supplication, Cantillon Iris etc. I'm not quite sure what else to say, I dig it and would love to see what it does in the cellar every year for the next few. This beer grew on me more with every sip, I would definitely purchase it again.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a gentle carbonation. Leaves a bit of residue in the back of your throat.

Drinkability is moderate. Alcohol levels are manageable, the flavors are good, and the tartness doesn't really overwhelm. Could drink the whole bottle, or share it with a friend pretty easily.

I've decided this is less of an American Wild Ale, and more like a Flander's Red or Oud Bruin after a few recent encounters. That may be something to keep in the back of your mind while reviewing.

Commercial Description: The beer you are about to enjoy started it's 21 months of barrel aging with Brettanomyces bruxellemsis in the spring of 2005. This combination of wood and yeast is largely responsible for the je ne sais quoi of many Belgian beers. Our 10th Anniversary Barrel Reserve's lengthy aging has resulted in a mahogany colored ale with a distictive Brettanomyces nose, assented with oak from new American oak barrels. Hints of vanilla and sherry-like notes make this beer one to savor. As it warms in the glass, its layers of complexity are further revealed. We hope you enjoy this fine beer. Cheers!

Springfield Brewing Company's Barrel Reserve pours up with a frothy, tannish-white head that neatly crowns the slightly hazy, mahogany body. The tart aroma shows some ripe fruitiness (Schaerbeek cherry, Shropshire plum, Mission fig) with hints of shortbread, toffee, and warm vanilla wafers that add to the overall complexity. The wild brettanomyces character is seemingly light with some barnyard, sweaty saddle leather, and dampened earth. Lots of oakiness from the barrel that overshadows some of the other nuances. The fruitiness carries well into the flavor with notes of cherry pit, burnt raisin, ripe plum, and red currant that compliment the toasted maltiness with a hint of chocolate. The underlying spicy bitterness is very restrained, but just enough to balance the sweetness. The acidic (winey) finish is slightly harsh and dominated by oak tannins with hints of cherry tobacco, leather, and vanilla bean. This medium bodied Flanders-style sour ale gets better as it warms in hand and has a nice creaminess akin to a fine Amontillado sherry. However, it lacks some complexity when compared to its Flanders cousins, but should continue to develop & mature in the bottle. A bit of cellaring is recommended to mellow all of those oak tannins. Mueller's Barrel Reserve is only available at the brewery in limited quantities and commands a premium price of US$18/bottle. Try pairing this one with some of SBC's Jumbo Crab Cakes served with a Charleston chipotle alfredo sauce. Here's to 'The Wizard' and his fine Barrel Reserve!

CHEERS! Beertracker