Sparkling Swan
Lagunitas Brewing Company

a sort of dumbed down version of the highly impressive dark swan, not sure what the goal was here, perhaps to make something a little more crushable at this lower abv, but the beer loses some of itself, and this ends up the inferior version, no doubt. a little lighter in color but the same rather deep grape derived violet shade, and a gorgeous almost belgian looking airy head, wispy and lasting, lovely. the aroma is similar to the dark swan original, less the subtly unique pekko hop aspect and with a seriously reduced grape saturation. the sourness is middle of the road, pretty clean but lightly citric to me, some tannins from the fruit but it seems more tame to me, less exciting, and not much from the grain at all, juicy and appealing but a little bit one dimensional, especially compared to the original. the flavor is about the same, obviously grapey but with jammy blackberry tones and currant astringency. it stays long on the palate. there is some sweetness here too though to balance, from the fruit it seems, its good, but i would like this better if i wasnt so well acquainted with dark swan. i think the goal here was to crank the carbonation to effervescent level, but it doesnt seem much different than the original, so its lighter but it comes at too big a flavor sacrifice to be worthwhile, like this hit some middle ground between the poles that would have made sense, a 4% abv fully sparkling grape crusher would have been preferrable to this if its going to be stripped back anyway, so even though this is tasty, inventive to some extent, and professionally done, its not what it could have been, and doesnt hold a candle to dark swan proper...

 

 

Well this doesn't happen often, a bottled beer courtesy of the creator of the canquest, woodychandler. Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a purple color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of grapes, fresh cut flowers. Taste is like a dry red wine, a touch of sourness. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall it's not bad, but not am beer I would need to drink again.

Look: It is dark burgundy with a pine head. It has low head retention. It has very good clarity.

Smell: It has a grape aroma with a slightly dry element. There is a slight earthen elements in the background.

Taste: It has red wine elements in the flavor. There is a very low strawberry element. There are some earthly notes in the background as well.

Feel: The first thing I notice is that this beer is very dry like some wines.

Overall, it's nice to drink a beer that is very different from the mainstream. This is actually an Italian Grape Ale.

 

 

Got a nice little deal on this one, $8 for a 12 pack in the clearance basket. While I've been recovering in absolute agony from my knee surgery, my buddy drank a few of these and now I'm on to my first one to review it.

12 oz bottle poured into boiler snifter.

Light purple from the bottle forming into a dark beet colored body and a pinkish-whitish head of 2 fingers. Recedes to 1. Pretty quality.

Aroma is of mineral and hibiscus and roses, maybe a touch of grape juice. Not incredibly detectable or strong.

Flavor is mildly sour but mostly mineral, crab apple, hints of communion wine, sparkling grape juice, and faint oak. Lingering puckering acidity on the finish.

Drinkability is just dangerous. Drinks like a 3% saison, zero alcohol heat, and an acidic dry finish.

Overall, a pretty solid little drinker and at an astounding 6.5% ABV, you'll be drunk in no time. This thing goes down like water but doesn't taste like it.

 

A - Very dark red-purple body, clear and bright, with purplish tinged white head. Minimal lacing.

S - Strong hit of grape must, a bit of wood, and funk below.

T - The core may be a beer, but the flavor is lush with red wine, grape and oak, sour finish.

M - Slick with strong carbonation and moderate weight. Tingly finish.

O - A very nice hybrid. The sour hit mingles with wine flavors, and it all works pretty well. Tasty.

12oz bottle with no date

First time buying Lagunitas after they sold-out. Say it ain't so, boys. Taste and smell is crab-apples, caramel malt and sweet candy. Kinda light on flavor, medium sour, no alcohol presence.

Gets a big "eh" from me. Doesn't stand out; waste of time. All that said - it's $10 for a 12 pack near me and that's cheap for a sour around here. The big beer industry strikes again.

Mildly murky deep purple/red body with a light mauve foamy head. The nose offers plenty of grape and cherry, a little soil, a little funky yeast, and a little butter. The taste is heavy with grape, solid tartness, and not a small amount of iron. The body is light, a tad syrupy, and overcarbonated with sharp nips on the tongue.
Despite its significant technical flaws, its fruity nature and appreciable tartness wins me over, and I'm rating it higher than I probably should. Sue me bitch.

 

From 12 oz. bottle

Dark ruby hue, clear, scant pink head which quickly disappears. No lacing.
Winery grape aromas, vinegar, very slight funk
Wine and malt flavors, red grape, plum, not tart in my opinion
Low bitterness, light body, dry finish
Hardly “wild” but pleasant and complements spicy foods. I’ll keep it in mind when I’m in the mood for a fruit beer.

Pours an effervescent scarlet hued purple with a thumb+ of pinkish head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Slight mustyness, hints of red grape

T: Tart cranberry, a little grape & dryness up front. A little sweet red grape, then some tartness & a little bit of cherry sweet tart as this warms. Finishes dry, tart with a little cherry kool-aid sweetness

MF: Light/medium body, fairly firm carbonation

This didn't do a lot for, kind of a sour beer for noobs, for lack of a better description, drank alright. glad I only grabbed a single

A- Chalice pour from the stubby with a massively foamy head that rises out of the glass almost instantly with a thick and very creamy texture. Thick sheets of lace around the glass with some webs on the lower parts as well. The color is something to boast about. A ruby purple beast.

S- The wine aspect of the beer is huge as the grapes are just juicy and fresh and lead in the forefront of the aroma. Tannins and oak abound coming along for the very vinous ride with some acetic acid, lemon tartness, slight buttered popcorn, grape stems and dried dark fruits.

T- Again the grapes and vinous aspect of the brew is absolutely massive. The buttery acetic flavors, which feel a bit off, get a bit stronger but honestly they fade wtih time and aren't as big of a deal in the end. Tart grapes are the showcase flavor and the beer wine hybrid title is 100% appropriate. Between the acetic, musty wine and beer flavors it takes on a Flanders feel with a lot more juicy purple grape juice flavor staying behind in the ferment. Flanders plus Welch's Grape Juice.

MF- The body is towards the lighter side with a very airy and puffy texture and a very very high end carbonation. Ends very tart with grape flavor lingering forever.

Takes some time to warm up on the palate as there was a very slight hint of butter and acetic to begin with to end up tasting like a big Welch's grape bomb mixed with a young Flanders brew.

 

 

 

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Pours a purple ruby with a rocky pink head and falls leaving great thick retention and sticky lacing. The aromas have some funk and vinegar going on along with some grape and berries. Malts are there. The flavors basically follow the nose for the most part. It's tart, but not over the top. Nice sweetness. More grape notes. More vinegar in the mix. Low bitterness. Malts do their thing. Finishes dry for the most part. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Mouthfeel is nice. It's medium-bodied with moderate to active carbonation. It's very fluffy, creamy, smooth and easy to drink.

This is a pretty solid brew. I'll admit I've never been the biggest fan of this style and really never got into the style, so you can take my opinion with a grain of salt. This has nice aromas and flavors. It's enjoyable and fun to drink. I like it (shrugs).