Kaleidoscope
Birra Toccalmatto

 

No dating on the bottle.

Hazy straw yellow colour, small quickly dissipating head of foam, very little lacing.

Lactic smell with a cucumber aroma.

Lactic sourness, cucumber, salty, coriander flavours. Strange tasting beer.

Light body with adequate carbonation.

1 and done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i had much higher hopes for this one, based on the price point, the breweries involved, and the sexy packaging. nice to see some beer from these guys in the market, but i wanted this to be better than it is. a prickly pear wild ale, it pours almost totally flat, really yeasty and muted pale golden, thick looking, not lively like i like and expect from the italians. the nose is yummy, definitely get the cactus fruit in here, juicy and tangy and sweet all at the same time. there is a little lacto pucker to it, but it doesnt seem like its going to be real sour. there is more of a saison yeast to it, wine-like and tannic, tangy, and fruity. the flavor matches the nose, but the pear element is a bit strong, out of proportion, and the yeast seems one dimensional. i need a little brett funk or some harder pucker here, its more like a tangy juice than a beer at times, with the sweetness of the pear overtaking the wheat malt and the yeast. the worst part is that its flat. not a trace of carbonation in it. not sure if the bottle conditioning failed here or what, but its still, and a beer like this needs life. if it wasnt for a little acidity from the yeast, the mouthfeel would be terrible. feels like juice. overall a cool idea, and they make it look good in the bottle, thats for sure, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired this time around. still, i appreciate the experimentation, i just wish it didnt cost me 18 bucks...