Cognac Envoûtée
Brasserie Trois Dames

special edition of an already special blend that, made all the more special by the fact that i just learned these guys are closed for good now, so heartbreaking, one of the worlds greatest and most unsung breweries, always thoughtful and meticulous, maybe ahead of their time, always did it for me, finding their beer in the wild is still possible, and will take on additional meaning for me now. there is a regular version of this that is also in barrels, but this cognac edition is a rare one. bottled in 2018, best by next month, got it in just in time. pours a pretty mahogany color with a slightly tired looking head settling fast, a little hazy, but enough carbonation too at first. it smells awesome, a little bit of that vinegar character you find in mature flanders red and oud bruin types, red berries too, then deeper fruits like date and fig and prune, pretty cool depth, some funk too, more of that as it warms, red wine and oak, sherry and cognac both from the blend, wildly complex, old but with flattering oxidation, lemon pucker, not overly acidic, still mouthwatering. had to google the petrichor descriptor they put on the label, but thats not way off either. mad oak in the flavor, layers and layers of chateau type malt and chocolate malt and various crystal malts that dont taste as old as they smell. cherries and root beer, vanilla and pepper, wet earth and root vegetables, and lots of cognac, a little iodine and lambic-type funk as well, less brett than bacteria but the ferment here is crazy dynamic. i like its maturity, both its natural wood maturity and also the way its aged in the bottle, although it could use a little more carbonation overall. i am sad to know my days of drinking their beer are inherently numbered, i love them, always have, but their stuff never really seemed to catch on in the states. hit me up if you find any trois dames anywhere, desperately seeking now more than ever!