Le Terroir Green Walnut
New Belgium Brewing Company

 

Pours an effervescent & hazed amber with one finger of ivory colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Vinegar, a little pear & horse blanket, Golden Delicious Apples

T: Tons of green appleskin, oaky dryness & tartness, a little lemon zest, a little leafy hop going on as well, some Green Walnut does come through as this beer warms up, can't say that is a real selling point. Finishes with tartness, dryness, leathery notes & acidity

MF: Medium body, lively carbonation, enamel sucking stickyness

Not a great variant off the OG, not one I would buy again in large format bottles

On tap in Asheville. White head, cloudy golden color.

Sour, a bit acidic, citrusy, lemony, oaky, tart. Never would have have guessed there to be green walnuts in this. Has a bit of a lambic vibe to it, but way more American wild ale. Glad I got to try it, but also glad I only ordered a 5 oz pour.

Had on tap. Cloudy rusty orange pour with a darker white head. Getting lemon and lime in a zestier way atop sour golden ale yeast base, with brett and slight oak. Taste is a milder lambic set up, sour up front with a kiss of acidic lemon especially, green walnut flavoring is light but in the middle, oak, light bretty funk and wild yeast finish gently. Feel is sour and then dries out through sip, lighter bodied. Simply not as good as other green walnut lambic I have had but sessionable

 

I am an old school fan of le terroir but not so sure about the Sabro hops in this. I've also had Green Walnut and could not detect even a hint of it in this blend, I wonder what the ratio was? A let-down for sure.

Sabro dry-hopped American sour ale blended with traditional Lambic ale; Aged on green walnuts

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden color with a rocky one finger head; good retention with squiggles of lacing

Smell: A range of aromatics with the dry hopping adding some citrus pith to the funky Brett and sour wheat tones; white wine barrel also adds character and the green walnut wafts, as well

Taste: The citrus pith from the dry hopping, the acidity from New Belgium's Golden Sour and the funky Lambic flavors from Oud Beersel merge, right off the bat, with melon, white wine grape and oak adding complexity; the green walnut is subtle but lingers into the finish; the aftertaste is tart

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate to high carbonation; puckery

Overall: Excited to learn that this was available by mail order from New Belgium and their service was so prompt it caught me by surprise; I recall the days when BAs were excited by La Folie and had strong respect for New Belgium's sour program; it reflects where we are today that a beer like this goes totally under the radar on this site and doesn't even command a "4" rating on Untappd

another blended beer collaboration with oud beersel, i was so stoked to see this on a bottle reserve list in the most unlikely of places, the original green walnut lambic is one of my favorite beers of all time, so to have some of that blended into le terroir is really neat, although of course i wish for more of a 50/50 blend, it seems really light, mostly the new belgium base, but the combination is really cool nevertheless, and everything about this is cool. the packaging is stunning for one, gold and green, cork and cage, lovely. the pour is clear and radiant golden with a frothy and lasting white head unexpected in sour beer and beer this aged, a bit of sediment in the bottom clouding the last third or so of it, but this is real pretty looking. the aroma is dry hoppy and sour, the le terroir popping through, more oak than i remember, maybe more juiciness to the hops too, but its been awhile, definitely wine wine notes here, plenty of tannins, and subtle citrus, melon, and even tamarind character. the lambic is also evident, although its well behind the other beer in the blend, bretty funk, light iodine, raw wheat, and the tangy zesty green walnuts, so aromatic and cool, the lambic seems dusty and old, really neat against the super fresh hops on the new belgium side, clever and fun. the flavor combines the best parts of both beers, i love the lambic funk balancing some of the outward acidity of le terroir, and the way the hops and the green walnut part go so well together, fully complimentary. more lambic would be cool, its subtle here, but it makes this infinitely more complex than le terroir on its own. awesome carbonation, some wheaty body to offset the thinning effect of the acidity, and an overall brightness to this that really flatters the blend. on the whole i absolutely loved this, and not just because of the sual surprise of finding it, and learning that it even existed, but because the beer really is incredible, enough lambic to keep it supremely interesting, sour enough and hoppy enough to be hyper modern too, really the best of both worlds. they should be proud of this one, its exceptional. sure to age with the best of them...