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Barnstormer Series - Close Encounter
Blue Star Brewing Company
Beer Geek Stats
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- From:
- Blue Star Brewing Company
- Texas, United States
- Style:
- Flanders Red Ale
- ABV:
- 4.8%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.84 | pDev: 13.02%
- Reviews:
- 5
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Dec 19, 2016
- Added:
- Nov 15, 2011
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 4
SCORE
87
Very Good
87
Very Good
Notes:
2 year aged sour beer blend with hints of tamarind and prunes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania
4.05/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.05/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Blue Star Brewing Company "Close Encounter"
on tap at the brewery on 2 November 2015
Appearance: Slightly hazy deep copper beneath a full head of creamy off white froth. Excellent retention and lacing.
Aroma: Sour and caramelish with a hint of vinegar and earthy funkiness. Fruity with red berry and tart red apple.
Flavor: The sugar and tart are balanced... the funky/sour edge dominates but the sweetness is able to bring it around. Fruity with dark skinned fruit, cherry, and raspberry.
Mouthfeel: Medium-light in body, gently effervescent and somewhat creamy.
Overall: A bit "WACKO" but accessible to fans of sour beers.
Feb 04, 2016on tap at the brewery on 2 November 2015
Appearance: Slightly hazy deep copper beneath a full head of creamy off white froth. Excellent retention and lacing.
Aroma: Sour and caramelish with a hint of vinegar and earthy funkiness. Fruity with red berry and tart red apple.
Flavor: The sugar and tart are balanced... the funky/sour edge dominates but the sweetness is able to bring it around. Fruity with dark skinned fruit, cherry, and raspberry.
Mouthfeel: Medium-light in body, gently effervescent and somewhat creamy.
Overall: A bit "WACKO" but accessible to fans of sour beers.
Reviewed by Myotus from Texas
3.86/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
3.86/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I never do live reviews from a brewery, but since they don't bottle, here it goes.
LOOK: It was presented to me into a pilsner glass with a quarter finger's worth of an off-white foam head. Amber in color with a moderate amount of cloudiness. Rising bubbles are large in size and moderate in quantity. Lacing is very thin and subtle.
SMELL: Has strong aromas of tamarindo that meet with mild aromas of sour yeast, oak, and bready malts.
TASTE: Strong tamarindo and sour yeast flavors enter initially. Mild bready malt, oak, and peach flavors follow up immediately after.
FEEL: Light-bodied and moderately carbonated. Goes down smooth. Finishes with a mild dryness. Sourness from the beer playfully agitates the tongue.
NOTE: Pretty good. The description says it has a hint of tamarind, but this is a tamarind bomb. It would be better if the tamarind was balanced out by something.
Oct 26, 2015LOOK: It was presented to me into a pilsner glass with a quarter finger's worth of an off-white foam head. Amber in color with a moderate amount of cloudiness. Rising bubbles are large in size and moderate in quantity. Lacing is very thin and subtle.
SMELL: Has strong aromas of tamarindo that meet with mild aromas of sour yeast, oak, and bready malts.
TASTE: Strong tamarindo and sour yeast flavors enter initially. Mild bready malt, oak, and peach flavors follow up immediately after.
FEEL: Light-bodied and moderately carbonated. Goes down smooth. Finishes with a mild dryness. Sourness from the beer playfully agitates the tongue.
NOTE: Pretty good. The description says it has a hint of tamarind, but this is a tamarind bomb. It would be better if the tamarind was balanced out by something.
Reviewed by chinchill from South Carolina
3.78/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.78/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On tap at the brewpub in San Antonio.
Appearance: Pours brown with low clarity, but not quite hazy. The head leaves little lacing.
Feel: Near medium body and medium carbonation.
Flavor: Markedly tart. Puckering tartness. Some tamarind flavor at a well set level. High tartness for style. Approaches 4.25.
O: Bold and recommended. .. and this from someone who doesn't like tamarind or many sour beers.
Jun 21, 2014Appearance: Pours brown with low clarity, but not quite hazy. The head leaves little lacing.
Feel: Near medium body and medium carbonation.
Flavor: Markedly tart. Puckering tartness. Some tamarind flavor at a well set level. High tartness for style. Approaches 4.25.
O: Bold and recommended. .. and this from someone who doesn't like tamarind or many sour beers.
Reviewed by Hoptometrist from Ohio
3.85/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.85/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served on tap into a snifter.
A- Poured a dark reddish brown with off-white frothy head that left splashy lace.
S- Big sweet and sour chilli notes, dark fruits, and vinegar sourness and astringency.
T- Big sweet and sour chili notes, tart raspberry and dark fruit notes, and quite a bit of astringency not unlike nail polish.
M- High carbonation dry, and quite a bit of astringent burn on the finish.
O- A really unique and creative sour ale that I enjoyed, but a little went a long way. After a while it reminded me of sweet and sour sauce.
Jan 31, 2014A- Poured a dark reddish brown with off-white frothy head that left splashy lace.
S- Big sweet and sour chilli notes, dark fruits, and vinegar sourness and astringency.
T- Big sweet and sour chili notes, tart raspberry and dark fruit notes, and quite a bit of astringency not unlike nail polish.
M- High carbonation dry, and quite a bit of astringent burn on the finish.
O- A really unique and creative sour ale that I enjoyed, but a little went a long way. After a while it reminded me of sweet and sour sauce.
Reviewed by Mora2000 from Texas
4/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I was happy to find one of Blue Star's sours on tap during a recent trip to San Antonio.
The beer pours an amber color with a large white head. The aroma is very heavy on the acetic acid, with a little bit of toffee mixed in.
The vinegar is also present in the flavor, but there is also some nice tart dark cherry notes as well as some toffee and a little bit of brown sugar. Overall, the beer is very sour and makes your cheeks pucker quite a bit. That being said, the beer is easy to drink and quite enjoyable.
Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.
Nov 15, 2011The beer pours an amber color with a large white head. The aroma is very heavy on the acetic acid, with a little bit of toffee mixed in.
The vinegar is also present in the flavor, but there is also some nice tart dark cherry notes as well as some toffee and a little bit of brown sugar. Overall, the beer is very sour and makes your cheeks pucker quite a bit. That being said, the beer is easy to drink and quite enjoyable.
Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.
Barnstormer Series - Close Encounter from Blue Star Brewing Company
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
24 ratings
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