Barrel Aged Indomitus (Batch 1)
White Birch Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acquired via trade from VanillaMike so a big “Thank You” goes out to him. Poured from a 750ml bottle into a chalice glass. Bottled on date of 5/27/2010, #99 of 154.

A: The beer is a dark gold color, with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thin lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains esters, apples, caramelized malts, Belgian yeast and a good amount of hops.

T: The taste starts out with burst of sourness that remains dominant with flavors of apples wild Belgian yeast and citrus. Then some mild sweetness comes in along with a complementary hops presence. The malt character is on the thin side and provides a decent balance. I didn’t pick up much of the oak aging. The after-taste is tart.

M: Smooth and very crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is clean and dry.

O: Tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, good kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid sour beer to drink for a while.

 

A: Black with a chocolate brown head like a stout. Barely any carbonation. Thick, stagnent syrup.

S: Bourbon. Dark chocolate, port wine.

T: Chocolate -> candied whole spices -> flip the switch into sour (bell curve) -> faint dry roastiness

M: Low carbonation, a slight dryness from the roast and even some coffee aspects which I hate the idea of in a sour. Overall its pretty neutral.

O: I don't see the need for the hate.

After being led to believe this was one of the worst beers ever made by larga "I can only communicate in hyperbole" deer, I approached this beer with trepidation and excitement at the last big Peninsula tasting.

A: Pours a hazy goldenrod body capped with a small wisp of off-white head.

S: This changes as it warms, going from earthen / dirty notes to more expression of brett (must, funk) and lemons. I really want to hate this, considering everything I've heard about it, but at best it's just sub-par.

T: It's not super flavorful, but it combines flavors of lemons, must (reminding me of an attic), slight funk, and a noticeable metallicity in the finish. Again, I want to hate this, and I'm annoyed that this wasn't the dirty pond water it was hyperbolically claimed to be.

M: Oddly unsettled and uneven in flavor, resulting in some sips that are earthy / funk and others that are more metallic, without a general sense of integration. There may be a good beer here waiting to get out.

O: On hand, were 4 people who had had Indomitus before (3 whose tastes I trust, and largadeer), and the former 3 all agreed: the beer had improved substantially since its amazing trainwreck showing in their last encounter with it. I, having no prior experience, am left disappointingly undisappointed. White Birch, you are somehow... improving?

 

From the Black batch bottled August 16, 2011 no. 156. Sampled on December 25, 2011. The pour is more like a stout than anything else with its pitch black color and thick foamy head. The aroma is full of dark grains, malts, wood, and earthy hops. The body falls into the medium to heavy range. The taste is wild and hoppy with a pucker-up sourness. The yeast seems to come out more as it gets to the end of glass.

 

 

 

This is from an August 2011 bottling not to be confused with the may 2010 bottling.

This beer is AMAZING.

Pours a deep dark mahogany color that borders on black with a 1 finger mocha head.

Smell is heavenly combination of freshly picked wild raspberries, dark chocolate, coffee, and some Brett.

The taste is sublime, complex, and smooth. It has wild ale all over it but never becomes abrasive. The coffee and chocolate rule the day with deep subtle fruit notes and dew drops from fresh cut hay coming to the party.

Bought direct from Bill at the new store in Hooksett.

This one was quite a surprise, got it via the tickers BIF from womencantsail, thanks!

Wonderful pour, kind of orange colored with a nice head and some lace, but overall a really nice looking beer.

Tasted and smelled downright sour, in a wonderful way. Sour crabapples brought forth a pungent tart fruitiness that comes right out and stays in your face the whole time. Funk and vinegar accent this great beer creation all the way. Finish was sour and dry.

Body was pretty light but right on par for the style.

This was a really tasty beer. I'd very happily have this one again anytime, and don't really understand the wild swings in the reviews so far. Its clearly a wild ale and has all the features that I look for in this style. As far as I'm concerned this one is "Great job White Birch!"

Thanks for sharing Mike. Bottled 5/27/10, Batch 1.

A: Pours a glowing pumpkin color with a thin white head.
S: I get a bit of cucumber and melon on the nose. Strange.
T: Notes of melon, brett, and a grapefruit pith sourness to the finish. It’s also a bit solventy and rough. I also get note of oak and some else more sinister that I’m not a fan of but cannot put my finger on.
M: A clean mouthfeel with fluffy carbonation and a pleasant sourness to the finish. The alcohol and acidic make it a bit uncomfortable to drink though.
O: Odd, but not as bad as some make out. I was content with just one pour. I could not drink a whole bottle of this.

Thanks to Exiled for sharing this bottle. Bottled May 27, 2010. Bottle number 31 of 154.

The beer pours a golden orange color with a white head. The aroma is bread and citrus, with a little bit of cardboard. The flavor is not good at all. I get a ton of cork and cardboard, as well as a little bit of brett, grass, grain and some nasty fruit notes. Not sure what went wrong, but the beer cannot taste like the brewer intended. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Gross.