Sauvegeonne Dark Blend
Brasserie Trois Dames

i believe this was released twice, the one pictured here being the older, and lighter it seems, of the two, which i am still yet to procure, but the newer one, with a more colorful portrait style label in reds and yellows bottled in 2018 and recently shared with me by drlovemd87 is a banger, absolutely amazing at four plus years old, some already real mature beer at that time, doing astoundingly well this far on down the road. aged in cabernet barrels, its full of bretty funk and even woody lambic character, i was floored by it, and it felt especially rare and special knowing these guys are no longer making beer, horribly sad. more brown than red in the glass, quite dark for a lambic type thing, decent head for its age and acidity, patchy and off white, not a whole lot of retention. the nose is amazing, i cant believe how funky this is, mature brett and oak, red wine and port wine both to me, nutty almost, concentrated red fruits, high tannic sharpness, and mouthwatering bacterial acidity with lemon behind it, light iodine and minerals, wet and musty oak, very very very complex. the flavor brings quite a lot of sourness, lambic funk up front too, wood all through it, raisin, fig, prune, old leather, cedar, cocoa, and licorice, its autumnal and wintery both, aggressive but also kind of mellow, like super well integrated and interesting, the ferment makes it epic, these guys always had so many unique wild profiles, this is another one for sure, and i really like the dark parts, adds a lot to this, trace smoke, chocolate, and earth. flattering oxidation in the mix as it warms, a load of red wine, and a lovely spiciness late. cant say enough about this one, and about the drinking experience with it in general, so lucky to have beer friends like this. i hope there is more trois dames in my future, but i know it is getting less likely by the day. if this is my last, it sure will be a fond memory!

 

750 ml. bottle.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 1/4 inch off white head over a deep amber body with some lacing. Nose of dark fruit, grapefruit, and oak. Taste mirrors nose with a tiny bit of sweetness in front, turning a bit sour in the middle, and finishing with slight tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Wow! Very complex and simple at the same time! The sweetness does carry through almost 'til the end with a ruby red grapefruit flavor at first, then morphing to a pink grapefruit flavor near the end. The oak flavor is there for the duration as well. Good feel and overall, what an interesting offering from Ste. Croix, Switzerland. Cheers to the Swiss for this!

lambic inspired ale. this was incredible for it not being a true gueuze. very much on point and better than most American brewers can make when it comes to lambic styled beer. funky, a bit sour, a little acidity, oaky.