Wood Werks No. 5 - Belgian Style Sour
Great Divide Brewing Co.

Bottled on April 5th 2019.

First off,it's a foam monster. I bought a bottle previously and it gushed out leaving little to do a review with.

The appearance? Reminds me of many Belgian Ales...such a huge head of foam that takes forever to shrink. Lots of bubble action inside the reddish orange cloudy liquid. Lacing is impressive.

I get spices, the wine, big doses of the latter, but there's also another dominant aroma...Brett.

Wow! Spicy, fruity from the wine, Brett, being over a year old, I reckon that it didn't suffer from the aging? No alcohol taste but I can sure feel it after the swallow. Yikes, this is great!

Fairly light bodied with lively carbonation.

Poured again and there's that foam again!

Amazing beer and I will pick up more because I can!

this is double listed on the great divide page here, but an awesome beer, never had it brand new, but its drinking amazingly well right now, one of the best ive had from these guys in ages, and one of the more ambitious too. i have never known these guys for their fermentation forward stuff, even though they have done some nice sours over the years, this one seems fully wild to me, whether it is or not, its very unique in this regard, and its a total winner. big thanks to my friend and colleague for dropping a couple of these off for me this week, what a treat! i dont think i knew it had plums in it before opening, so the soft pinkish purple color came as a surprise until i studied the label a little closer. some haziness to it, but a tall white head and a beer that looks well enough refined, a unique shade from the fruit too. aroma is less belgian and more funky than i thought, with some real wet animal brettiness and some citric tang, as well as a well hidden alcohol content and some nice soft sweetness and even floral character from the plums. i get some belgian spiciness in the flavor, some rawness to the grain base, less of the candy sugar i expected, and less of the high tone esters too, more rustic funk, almost imperial saison qualities here above anything else, and the heavy oak with the red wine from the barrels is just awesome. definitely seems wild to me, a little tart, a lot of musty funk, very old worldy, and the plum with the berry character of the red wine is killer. just a little sweetness through it, enough grain for balance, and softly tannic without being harsh or acidic at all. the alcohol stays away even when this warms up, and the carbonation is great for something so strong and mature. really high quality stuff here, definitely a highlight from great divide, and i am stoked to have another bottle for some time down the road. this is gorgeous, unique, and expertly crafted!

edit: revisiting my last bottle of this about six years later here, spring of 2026, and its done real well in the cellar! 2019 date on it, no sign of falling off, although it has evolved. practically leaping out of the bottle when i popped the cap, high hard to control big bubble head, more haze than i remember, still flush soft pink color. strong red wine in the nose, tannins from the oak too now more than i recall from years ago, more sour for sure, but still super funky and wild, some sharpness and iodine and minerality, the plum is vinous and intact, and the grain has dried out even more. i love the ferment, its tart and slightly acetic and really funky, unique in its proportions, the defining feature of this really, but the barrel treatment is excellent and its not over fruited. love the age on it, super effervescent, this is wonderfully unique beer. i miss what these guys were capable of at their best...

L:. Pours a thick opaque pink lemonade color with a small white head and several fingers of lacing on the glass.

S:. Some sweet strawberry, plum, and cherry, mix with a nice Belgian spice, including some pepper and coriander, with a slight sour. Very nice aroma.

T:. Sweet strawberry, cherry and plum, a hint of oak and vanilla, mixed with a nice backbone of Belgian spiciness. Very exceptional. Sourness is more tart than sour but still nice.

F:. Velvety smooth, with a touch of prickly carbonation, fairly large body on this.

O:. This is an exceptional sour, I love that the base of this beer is a tripel, it really adds to the beer. This is one of the best beers I've had in a while.