No. 127
Bøgedal Bryghus

 

At $10 off the list price, I figured I'd try it. In a brewery without temperature control or much of any mechanization for that matter, where wide batch and even bottle variation is normative - due both to shifting recipes and shifting environmental conditions, it goes without saying that the take-home message from any review of their ales must necessarily be: YMMV. In any case:

Poured from a caged-and-corked 750mL bottle into my Trappist Westvleteren goblet. Brewed April 2nd, 2008; Bottled April 15th, 2008.

Very dark liquid indeed - nearly opaque ashen seal brown with glimmers of bronze around the top edge when held to the light. An active half finger of buff foam recedes to a thin lasting collar and surface slick. Fine even lacing dragged down by delicate fast running legs.

Lush aromatics suggest golden raisins, dates, figs, and other dark fruit. A bit of yeast and malt add a subtle complexity to the esters.

Bright tart palate entry with the first hint of orange rind followed mid-palate by a wide array of spicy malt notes ranging from brown bread to fennel, tobacco to cocoa butter, coffee to burdock root. The yeast takes over where the malt leaves off leading into the long slow medium-dry finish, swinging back and forth from flavor to flavor, each one as surprising and rich as it is hard to identify due to its fleeting nature. An herbaceous malty yeasty kaleidoscope of tastes. Very very good.

Medium-bodied, lightly tannic and astringent, with active carbonation.

A bit of age has done this bottle well I suspect - glad I waited for it to sit on the shelf gathering dust in the dark before grabbing one on sale. Singular example of the style - with unparalleled craft you can really taste. Wish I had a good chunk of Esrom to pair it with...