Latus
Driftwood Brewery

Driftwood Brewery 'Latus' @ 6.8% , sampled on *cask* at GCBF'16 & a recent 2017 vintage bottle
A-pour is amber from the cask/bottle to a hazy orange/amber in the glass with a small dissipating beige head leaving a minimal lace ring along the tulip
S-beautiful & pungent
T-not so potent , just rite , tart & refreshing
MF-mild carbonation , nice body
Ov-not great , butt a good Flanders red sour ale
prost LampertLand

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours an opaque dark orange red with a pastel orange head that fizzes out very rapidly. Next to no surface or lacing bubbles. (And I'll always give 5* for label design to Driftwood - I love artistry of their labels)

Aromatics: I get the oddest visualizations of a sandy beach and sunscreen lotion when I first smelled it. It has a slightly tropical candy vibe with sweet forest after a fall rain mixed in. I swear I’ve experienced this smell will camping as a cub scout oh so many year ago. It has a dank funk that is nostalgically appealing.

Taste: A nice even tanginess with slight sour. Grassy florals with the sourness coming from more subtle (ie. non naturally sour) fruits, I imagine some plum and apple, a little peachiness in there too, and maybe a hint of raspberry that are just shy of being ripe. There is an extremely nice balance between the sweet and sour flavours.

Feel: Good medium body with a nice water-like fluidity. Finish is rather swift, dry, and clean. A very fine carbonation still has the ability to tickle the palate.

Overall: I would have expected from the multi-yeast strains to have some breadiness, but it was nicely arranged in aroma and flavour that a heavy yeasty or funkiness could really stand out on its own. I’d say it is very complex - even in trying to describe it, I do love the Brett in there, I think that is what I am picking up the most. I think this is a great sour, and is pretty on par with the the brett-sour funkiness that I am slowly getting acquainted with.

Pairing : I don’t know why but a craving for a savoury spicy dish is really calling to me here. The sour is so subtle I just want to kick it up a notch (to paraphrase Emeril) - I’m thinking a rich curry sauce dish - a Butter Chicken or *protein* Vindaloo. Indian cuisine is chock full of great buttery thick sauces with spice that doesn’t have to be HOT in order to kickstart the tastebuds. But for me, I love a good dose of thai chili pepper heat. I think not to over power the sour here though, a mild to medium heat will work perfectly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle: Poured a reddish color ale with a nice thick foamy head with excellent retention and some good lacing. Aroma of tart notes with some oak and cherry is very pleasant. Taste is a super well balanced mix of tart notes with some oak and cherry with light residual sugar notes with almost no acidity. Body is quite full with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. That is a world-class Flanders Fed with good level of complexity and perfect level of drinkability.

Appearance: It has a nice ruby/amber color to it. It has a nice creamy beige head that dies down moderately and leaves little lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of loads of tart cherries, definite funk, grapes, faint oak and a touch of vinegar.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has a bunch of tart cherries, red grapes, some barnyard funk, light oak and very faint vinegar.

Mouthfeel: It has a low carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a very smooth drinkable beer accompanied by great flavors and aromas. Another great one by Driftwood!

Serving type: bottle

 

 

Big thanks to FondueVoodoo for helping me round off the Top 50 of Canada with this rarity.

Poured from a 650ml bottle, bottled 01.28.14.

Pours a nice copperish body with a frothy and effervescent head. Aroma is the best part; oak, red wine, mild cherries, cork and a bit of sweetness hidden in the tartness. Flavor is acidic and a bit tart but not prolonged. Fiinshes with a mild cherry sweetness but found the oak flavor and general body to be a bit ordinary, especially considering the pedigree of the brewery.

2014 bottle.

Beer is dark red/brownish. Small off-white head. Minimal lace.

Nice smell. A rich berry scent complimented by oak, balsamic vinegar and some vanilla.

Taste is similar and also very good. Red berries, oak, vanilla, vinegar. Moderately sour. Fairly dry.

Full bodied, moderate to high carbonation level.

Overall, very nice. A very well done Flanders Red. It's not Rodenbach Grand Cru but it is not leagues below either. Good stuff.

Longtime want from Fonduevoodoo in CanBIF Spring 2014.

A - Pours typical Flemish Red colour of hazy auburn and tons of carbonation. One finger of beige head on top. Spotty lace and film of retention.

S - Lot's of tart cherry and wood. Mild vinegar note and acidity.

T - Sharp tartness and acidity. Less fruit. Some sugar is there.

M - Strong carbonation, medium body, not too tart to finish, but funk and acidic.

O/D - This definitely didn't wow, but is a decent example of the style. Easy to drink and nice to explore for sure. A good effort.

Poured from a 650ml bomber into a Dieu du Ciel Zwanze Day teku glass
2014 Vintage; Poured 2014/05/30; Thanks to FondouVoodoo for the bottle

Pours a clear copper color with almost two fingers of bubbly, white head that falls to a thin collar and no lacing. The nose is soft, dominated by tart cherries, some sourness, hints of sweetness and a bit of barnt funk. On the palate, the tart cherries and a touch of sweet malt roll through first, but the beer transitions into crisp tart, sourness. There is a nice oaky character and an overall crispness. The body is medium with nice carbonation making it smooth, light and refreshing. Overall, this is a very tasty brew! Very smooth and a nice balance of residual sweetness and tart, dry sourness. A very strong example of the style!

 

 

 

 

This is easily my favorite Flanders Red outside of Rodenbach and I could probably drink it more regularly! It's smooth, mildly tart, and all of its components are extremely well-integrated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**DISCLAIMER**
This is a fresh bottle. It arrived to the market no longer than a week ago. Depending on age, this will always effect various characteristics.

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Appearance - Nothing special, but nice. Clearly filtered. Nice strong amber/ orange. Small amount of head. Doesn't last long.

Smell - Delicious funk, sour cherries, lemon, sharp and cutting. Light brown sugar aroma, too. Slight clove layered in behind? Light breadiness, alcohol is a little heavy on the nose but not offensive.

Taste - Sour yeast, sour dough, pears, lemon citrus, orange peel, subtle wood flavour, grassy, wheat on the finish, apples, candied orange peel, with a nice, crisp acidity. Plants and flower pedals. Clean, crisp and dry. Lots going on here. Impressive.

Mouthfeel - Nice carbonation. This isn't seen in the appearance much, but can be detected by the tongue a lot more. This can be felt all throughout the mouth, but mainly the upper back portion, nearest the the throat. Quite nice.

Overall - It really doesn't get much better than this. To be honest, I am quite surprised given I am a real Belgian enthusiast and many of these North American breweries never seem to usually nail sours. In fact, it reminds me of the Duchesse de Bourgogne, but more fruity and slightly less sour, yet is certainly not far removed. No joke, this is a perfectly balanced Flanders: sour, sweet tart cherries and a beautiful yeast strain.