Oak and Orchard - Cabernet Sauvignon (Cherry, Blackberry, Black Currant)
Epic Brewing Company

12.7 oz bottle, release 11. Pours clear golden ruby with a small head that quickly disappears.

The aroma is vinous with some acidic and slightly tart fruit.

The flavor is sweet tart fruit with some astringent tannins in the finish and lots of mouth-puckering sourness. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with low carbonation.

Overall, An OK sour.

 

Pours a transparent tawny-garnett color with a meager cap of coarse, off-white foam. Aroma smells of cherries, vinegar, and raw funk—like a potently sour Flanders red.

The taste follows the nose with raging, SweetTart sourness and apple cider vinegar up front, accented by a peppery barnyard funk. A swell of wheat and cereal manifests on the back end while the nearly vital sourness creeps down the throat. I must confess, aside from mild cherry, the fruits are very hard to make out. Even the oak is more of an afterthought...or perhaps they're all simply buried beneath the funk and sour. Medium-light body and high carbonation make for a crisp, perky mouthfeel that complements the flavor profile.

On the whole, I was expecting a bit more in the fruit department, but this beer isn't wanting for flavor regardless. The Jacobin-caliber sourness is unrelenting—a testament to its wild pedigree. I would have appreciated a bit more complexity in light of the ingredients, however as a straightforward, quality sour, it gets the job done.

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours slightly hazy with a burnt orange color; the head fizzes away quickly with no lacing left behind

Smell: Tart black current and blackberry, with the cherry softening; oak and Cabernet tones envelop

Taste: Bracing sourness, from the outset, with the black currant and blackberry jutting forward; the more subtle cherry aspect is overwhelmed but makes a brief appearance before the oak and Cabernet tones arrive with the swallow; the vinous red wine character emerges further in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with no carbonation

Overall: There is a lot of fruit in this sour but I would like to see more funk and balance

375 ml bottle into tulip glass; release #11, no bottle dating. Pours slightly hazy golden/orange/amber, light copper color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light pink head with solid retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big sour/tart tangy red/black cherry, blackberry, black currant, fruit skin/seed/pits, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, and light toast/biscuit; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic/light spicy yeast, cherry, blackberry, black currant, oak, and moderate pale/wheat/spelt malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big sour/tart tangy red/black cherry, blackberry, black currant, fruit skin/seed/pits, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, and light toast/biscuit; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, fruit tang; light Brett/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tart/tangy cherry, blackberry, black currant, fruit skin/seed/pits, lemon, lime, orange, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, light pepper/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oat earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/light spicy yeast, cherry, blackberry, black currant, oak, and moderate pale/wheat/spelt malt flavors; with a great malt/tart/sourness and tangy fruit balance; with minimal puckering sourness after the finish. Moderately increasing dryness from lingering tart/sourness and tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, grainy/acidic/tangy, and fairly crisp/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6.5%. Overall this is an excellent fruited sour/wild ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/light spicy yeast, cherry, blackberry, black currant, oak, and moderate pale/wheat/spelt malt flavors; very smooth easy, and fairly crisp to drink with the moderately acidic/tangy/drying finish; not overly lactic. Great balance between juicy/jammy fruit, and Brett/bacteria complexity; with great oak presence, and a nice wheat/spelt/malt backbone against acidity. Zero residual sweetness with crisp acidic dryness. A very enjoyable offering, and impressively well made style example for the series as expected.

 

Tasted in a Rastal Teku from a 12.7 fl oz bottle on December 24, 2018. Look is dark ruby red with a foamy head and spotty lacing. Tart fruit and oak tannin notes.

Sour, but not pucker up tart. A worn in chewy sour thanks to the oak. Cherry on the lips balanced out by blackberry and currant in the mouth.
Very tasty, great fruity nose without being sweet or cloying. Definitely sour, but the three fruits blend to give enough depth to chew on instead of pucker. Wish it had more funk, and a bit expensive, but would love to taste again.

 

Bottle pour at the brewery. Cherry hues ruby amber.

Sour and tart. Lots of berries. Blackberries show the most with sour cherries. Light bodied. Maybe a bit too sour for me. Some acidity.

Oak and Orchard series beer. Waxed cap.
Beer label has this identified as:
'Sour ale aged in oak barrels, with cherry, blackberry, black currants.'. Release #11, 'DEN#5220',
Clear, cherry amber colored body. Fizzy head upon pouring did not stay around. Has a very thin ring fed by bubbles. No lacing.
Aroma of sour cherry and blackberry.
Taste of sour dark fruit - cherry and blackberry, and probably black currant. Also with tannin oak barrel.
Medium mouth feel. No bitterness or sting. Okay carbonation.
Straight forward dark red fruit that is brewed sour and aged in oak barrels. Sour and tannins sum up the result. Not a complex beer.