Settembre
Birrificio Del Ducato

 

It’s been a minute since I’ve tapped into the bottles I have left from my last OEC trip. I only have 2 left, so it looks like I’m due for another trip there to pick up some odd foreign beers. Using grapes in a beer of any kind grabs my attention, but an Italian Wild Ale with grapes sounds fascinating. Let’s dig in

Pours a cloudy pale gold with a finger of white head that immediately fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

It’s definitely funky in the nose, but I was honestly expecting even more funk considering I’m not sure of the vintage. I’m picking up on aromas of sharp oak, tannic white wine, apple skin, petrichor, wet hay, sherry, crackery malt, wildflower homey, and light leather

The funk blends with the tart fruit even better in taste. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting lemon juice, tannic white wine, wet hay, sharp oak, apple skin, wildflower honey, light smoke, and a touch of vinegar. The swallow brings notes of white wine vinegar, sherry, lemon juice, crabapple, crackery malt, old leather, wildflower honey, buttery oak, light smoke, and aged hops

A medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a sharp beer. Finishes bone dry and refreshing

Things didn’t start off so great for this one with the appearance, but it’s so damn good otherwise. It’s like if you took a traditional still Lambic and then carbonated it. It’s hard to describe. I really wish I had more of this

Bottle: Poured a clear amber color ale with a large foamy head with OK retention and minimal lacing. Aroma of tart notes with light oak presence with some dry grapes notes is quite enjoyable. Taste is a mix of tart notes with some light oak presence and wonderful grapes presence who offset some of the acidity. Body is pretty full for style with good carbonation. Enjoyable sour with more balanced acidity then some of the other offerings from this brewery.

 

 

 

 

 

this beer is literally incredible, as close to perfect as such a thing could be, pricey as they go, bigtime pricey, but you get what you pay for more often than not with these italian beers, and this will go down as one of my favorite of them ever. i didnt love the base beer for this, or at least the wort they used, which was apparently from chrysopolis, which was tasty, but sort of lost in the shuffle for me. this has some quarter of its fermentables as malvasia grapes, which make this mighty unique. its also beautifully wild fermented, super mature, dry, and effervescently carbonated, champagne-esque, its stunning from top to bottom. it pours a mostly clear champagne color actually, fizzy and lively as can be, only the bottom few ounces contain any sediment, this seems quite mature already. the aroma is striking, a definite tannic and white wine fruitiness, lots of clean new smelling oak, and a really unique wild yeast profile thats fully lambic style to me, a mix of old bretty funk with some complimentary fruit tones, and a neat but mellow bacterial acidity. the grapes and the wild yeast together are so interesting, its a combination of flavors i have not experienced before, some sweetness still remaining from the fruit, and the wheaty tannic base, its incredible really. sour only on the back of the tongue, bubbly as can be, insanely mature and refined, delicate, fancy. ive had a lot of beers that try to do this or something similar, but without a doubt this is the new standard for white grapes in wild ale, even wild ale in general. american brewers take note... this was unforgettable!