Agrestic #003
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Pours a cloudy reddish color with a slight white head that dissipates very quickly. Aromas of cherry, grape, and oak. On the palate cherries, grape, oak, followed by lemon zest. Finishes acidic, dry and slightly tannic, very sparkling wine like. Light bodied with pleasant carbonation. Overall an outstanding sour, balanced and easy to drink.

Bottled: 07/05/16

Pours slightly hazy amber red orange with a frothy white foam head. Notes of tart red fruit, dark cherry, lemon pith, lime, bready caramel malts, rosewood, toasty oak barrel, hay, straw, some woody spice, hint of barnyard funk, vanilla, mild coconut, with dusty floral earthy grassy hops. Feels chewy, medium bodied, slick and crisp with moderate carbonation. Overall a really nice oak aged American wild red ale.

375ml bottle, with label bottling date of '07/05/16'.
Slightly cloudy, medium amber colored body. Less than a finger width of off white head, but this is bubble fed and sticks around as a tiny bubble cap. Fizzy like lacing.
Big oak and rosewood smells in the nose, lemon and coconut, and dark cherries.
Taste is a rolling flavor trail, with the oak barrel, tea, lemon, vanilla, caramel malt, and cherries. Medium sour/tart, and a touch of funk.
Mouth feel is very enjoyable, with a fizzy, smooth, and slightly syrupy texture. Very good carbonation.
All aspects of this wild red ale work together to allow for a very enjoyable tasting experience. Has an attractive presentation in the glass, and the mouth feel is ultimately dry but this just calls for another sip. The components of the smell and taste are many but work well together as a progression of experiences rather than as a muddled mixture.

 

Pours a clear reddish brown with a quarter inch light pinkish head that settles to a thin ring and leaves virtually no lacing. Smells of oak, cherries, lemon and sour funk. Tastes of tart cherries, lemon, oak, vanilla and a sour funky finish. Light bodied and carbonated, mildly dry and puckering finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Bottled on 07/05/2016

A: Pours a dark orange/reddish color. At first a bubbly and dense white head forms, with good retention initially., and a small ring lasts throughout as it fades a little. A bit of spotty lace as well.
S: Oak and vanilla are big up front. Which leads to a great musty, almost pungently funky yeast. Some tart fruits, like cherry pith and lemon rind.
T: Follows the nose, with that great oak and vanilla. Mixed with a great basement like musty yeast flavor. Puckering and tart. A touch acidic, with more tart fruits. Cherry and lemon specifically. Very nice.
M/O: A medium body with high carbonation. Spritzy and almost prickly at first. Though I love the crisp carbonation bite and finishes beautifully dry, along with a touch of tannins. The puckering dryness makes this something I want to keep coming back to. Really enjoyable to drink.

I haven't had a lot of the Firestone Walker Wild Ales, but this is really well made. The yeast and oak complement each other perfectly. I will have to seek these out more often. This has also held up really well at over a year since its bottled on date. Well done and highly recommended.

A 375ml corked and caged bottle. Batch No. 003, bottled on 5th July 2016. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku glass.

Appearance: A clear amber copper colour with a one finger tanned head that dissipated slowly while leaving some nice lacing.

Aroma: Tart, cherry, lemon, oak, vanilla and coconut.

Taste: Tart, lightly sour, lemon, cherry, oak and vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, light to medium bodied with high carbonation.

Overall: Nice, enjoyable and great to drink.

 

Finger of very openly woven foam that is gone almost wen you pour it, eggshell white with a good deal of larger bubbles, the lacing looks like an exploding Mandelbrot set. The liquid is clear and an orange tinged reddish-brown, huge storm of bubbles fill things below the surface. The nose is sour but too full to wield a sharpened blade, sour oak with dill notes, dried yeast bits, sour cherries, pulped lemons, and autumn forest floor matter, not as aggressive nor longlasting as expected. Medium-bodied, creamy mouth feel allows it to soak in right off the bat, most sour as it finishes and as residue. The cherry aspect shines brightest and the sour oak pops in and out. More citric bite and here you get more of the underlying caramel, butterscotch, especially if allowed to warm. Earthy and leafy, a few notes of tar or black tea leaf. Carbonation is expansive and supports both the creaminess and well as fresher ending. Flavors fade at the end leaving the tingling sensation of the sourness behind. Tactful to the point of sacrificing focus.

 

Drank from a 12.7 fl.oz. (375ml) corked and caged bottle purchased at Inman Square Wine & Spirits, Cambridge, MA
Batch: No.003
Bottled: 07/05/16
Served in a tulip

Outstanding appearance. The crystal clear, dark amber liquid was topped by a tight, frothy, two-finger tall, cream colored crown. Excellent retention. The head fell ever-so-slowly to a thick, foamy, lasting cap. Streaky, patchy lacing stuck along the glass.

The aroma was extremely yeasty and dry initially. Super powdery. Somewhat tart and Bretty. Bit of sweet caramel malt character too. As the beer sat and the head died down, the nose turned extremely funky and musty. Loads of damp cellar notes. There was almost a bit of a moldy quality as well. As much as I love a funky nose on a beer, this was almost a bit too extreme. The tart, Bretty notes took over again later in the session.

The flavor profile was similar to the aroma but somewhat more tame. Tart and very Brett forward. Bready and caramel malts were noticeable on the front end. Touch of sweetness. Lemony and acidic in the center. Pithy rind-like notes appeared on the back end. The beer finished with big, dry, oaky tannins, more lemon pith and a good dose of acidity.

Nice lively, sprightly mouthfeel. The liquid contained a large bubbled, fairly aggressive effervescence that gave the beer a light, fluffy, frothiness. Toward the end of the glass, I could feel the acids in the beer starting to strip the enamel from my teeth.

Agrestic #003 really pushes the boundaries of an American wild ale. I could have easily mistaken this beer for an authentic Gueuze, and a damn good one at that. I gave my bottle a year-plus of aging and would recommend others to do the same, especially if you are a fan of funk.