Chrysopolis
Birrificio Del Ducato

L: Poured from a 11.2 oz into a pint glass - orange yellow foginess this one is giving off. No head at all to follow.
S: Getting aromas of citrus, slight lemon, quite bitter the aroma is.
T: matches the smell - sour, acidic, rough, tart.
F: Tough to drink if your not into sour ales but if you are you might appreciate this one better. Acidic on the tounge when sitting in the mouth - not to carbonated.
O: This one peaked my interest due to aging in wine barrels but I don’t like this beer to much. I appreciate the effort that was put into crafting this but I’m more of a stout guy myself so this is a completely different realm from what I’m used to drinking. But if your into sour ales it’s worth the try from what little experience I can offer in the sour ale world lol

330ml bottle into a teku. At least 6 years old, probably more.

Looks okay in the glass. Hazy orange body. Head fizzes out immediately, no lacing.

Tart aroma with a little funk as well.

On tasting, very tart and sour. There is a faint lemon presence. It is also very drying. No funk in the taste.

Mouth medium, finish dry and tart.

Overall, an okay beer. Maybe better a few years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed from (very) long-standing notes. 2015 bottling, consumed 10/23/17. Poured from the 11.2 oz. weird-shaped bottle into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.

A: Up front, there's no "pffft' at all when the bottle is opened; I'm not sure that's a good omen. It pours a bright gold with mild haze. No head, no visible carbonation bubbles. I'm not certain if this is supposed to be a still beer, but it sure looks it.

S: Vinous, lactic, and mild acetic tart. Lemons and citric acid, milder oak tannins. Citrus zest as well. Smells pretty decent and not vinegary at all, but notably wine-like though very dry.

T: Vinous and lemon rind, milder acetic sourness up front. Big citric acidity and light biscuit malts. Oaky dry tannins. Mild funk – feet and basement. More vinous dryness, hints of dried apricots and more lemons with a lingering dry white wine in the hang.

M: A light body overall, but the absolutely-no-carbonation thing makes it feel sticky. Medium amount of alcohol flavors. Again, literally no carbonation here at all.

O: I’m not sure if this was intended to be a still beer (although now that I look at other's reviews, it doesn't appear so). If so, I think it suffered as a result. There’s frankly minimal description on the label, which leaves a lot to be imagined. I purchased this from the bottle shop directly, and it has been in the temperature-controlled cellar and the refrigerator since purchased, so it’s not like it’s been abused. Too bad, because the flavors had some promise. Even as it is, it’s not undrinkable. If in fact the low carbonation was a bottle issue, I’d give it another try; but I wouldn’t seek it out nor pay any significant money for it. I would estimate the beer to be well north of 3.75/5 if it was appropriately carbonated.

 

Poured from 11.2oz bottle into glass. No marking for bottling date found.
Cloudy presentation (I did pour the yeast sediment into the glass), pale gold colored body. Bright white head quickly disappears, but a bubble fed ring persists. No lacing.
Aroma is tart lemon, leather funk, and wine/oak. The lemon is on top, but the funk and barrel lie beneath.
Extremely dry in its taste profile. Quite sour, combined with the tart lemon flavor. The tannic oak barrel comes in later. The funk is there throughout, leather and horse blanket.
Very acidic. Medium mouth feel, somewhat fizzy. Each sip totally wipes itself clean from the mouth, and beckons for another.
This beer lives in the lambic world.

One review I found: "Italian Lambic made with 65% pilsner malt and 35% wheat – the program tries to imitate the turbic mash schedule maintaining a large amount of dextrin and also some starch residues. During boil – he adds the hops suranne in flowers that were left to age in air for a few years (similar to lambic). After cooling – they transfer the wort directly into the barrel. Then he leaves the beer in old barrels that used to house Sicilian red wines (Nero d’Avola and Cabernet). The barrels are so old that the wine characteristics does not remain in the barrel but instead it is just the vehicle for spontaneous fermentation. The barrels are aged for at least 12 months before he starts to blend different barrels to create the final product."

I found this bottle of beer, among a few other offerings from this brewery, sitting on a wooden barrel in the Saint Louis Park Top Ten Liquors store. The display appeared to be a final offering of this brewery's few beers left in stock.

 

 

Beautiful flavor, particularly closer to room temperature - musty, woody, gooseberries, goat cheese. The aroma does have a slight paint thinner aroma that isn't pleasant. Appearance, I'm assuming this is an unblended lambic and intentionally flatter, is par for the course but I don't really know how to judge it.

 

 

 

 

As a Lambic the beer a nice deep yellow hue, some lace, and descent body. The tartiness and funk for lambic one would expect is there but it was over shadowed by a lasting turpentine flavor. Perhaps it was too old because we noted a similar taste of their La Luma Rossa (Cuvée 2012).

 

 

An inventive and refreshing spin on a lambic. I'm not a big fan of the lambic style, but this beer is closer to a gose. Perfect sourness with a great light fruit aftertaste. Definitely try, especially if you like gose. È ottimo!

 

Consumed March 25, 2016.

 

 

Poured a clear, yellow-orange body with minimal head and no lace. The first thing that hits me when smelling beer is a tart cherry smell, then some general acidic sourness (more than funkiness), and then bits of sweetness for some reason. Not overly tart or sour but this beer is definitely a sour beer, has bits of sweet fruits to add balance but for most part this one goes in the sour category. Woody and smooth, light ABV, easy to drink, worth trying if you like sours at all.

 

 

 

 

With the development of cleaner, crisper, fruitier and brazingly tart sour ales, the old-world charm of the mustier, earthier and much more rustic flavor seem challenging to sour ale appreciators. And that trend is well documented in Del Ducato's unblended lambic that shows more acid that earth.

Chrysopolis pours with a striking champagne character; lightly golden and modest with haze, its carbonation is soft and subtle with a dainty creme of froth. Jaw-tightening aromas strike the nose with with a sharply acidic scent that's off-vinegar but tantalizing with fruit. A moderately earthy nose suggests saddle leather, horse hair, sea brine and weathered cork.

But its taste shies away from such earthiness as the middle palate invites a shockingly sour taste- white wine, cider vinegar, gooseberry, crabapple, sour white grape, under-ripened berry frame a fruity and sour medley. With an ironside finish, the ale captures a saltine balance with damp hay, straw and grassy character from hops and grain.

Light and dry, the ale easily strips the palate of all thirst to ensure a highly refreshing and cleansing flavor and feel. Its brazen acidity provides a piquant astringency that evokes mouthwatering sensations as its spicy sourness teases the tastebuds with its prickle and tang.

 

 

Bottle opened with a slight hiss, but had zero head and very little fizz in the mouth. Aroma is vinegar, lemon/citrus, hint of barnyard. Flavor is massive lemon/citrus/vinegar. Body would have been better with a little more carbonation, otherwise good. I find this brewery puts out a lot of good beer but has problems with consistency/quality control.

 

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is hazy (almost cloudy) yellow in color. It poured with a quarter finger high head consisting of large bubbles that completely faded away.
S: Moderate aromas of sourness and funk are present in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell, but has much more in the way of sourness compared to funk. Acidic hints of lemons and vinegar are also perceptible.
M: It feels light-bodied and tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. The tartness becomes stronger as the beer warms up.
O: This beer really grows on you as you drink it—when I first smelled it it seemed like it would be really funky like a gueuze, but the taste was much more sour, helping to mask a good portion of the funk. I would definitely try this beer again if I could find it.

Serving type: bottle