Hedgerow Autumn Ale 2012
Van Dieman Brewing

Appearance: Bright sunset red-orange, with a medium-thick pale beige head, tinted with hints of orange foam. Strong head and lacing all the way down the glass. Crystal clear and quite pretty, later pours start to get a bit murky like a bottle-conditioned sour usually is.

Aroma: Funky, but not overly so, with a bit of tropical fruit in the initial aroma. A bit of oak and some berry hints, there is not a massive amount of rustic elements, but they are definitely present. There is a bit of a metallic, flinty edge to it, almost like a dry white wine. Hints of caramel and toffee near the end of the bottle.

Taste: My first thought - "This isn't a sour!” The initial taste is definitely on the mild side, but the sourness does slowly ramp up to a reasonable amount (although nowhere near a Lambic or similar). There is a good amount of bitterness, with some astringency showing through (apparently from the Sloe Berries - very hard to get the balance right according to the brewer!). It has a dry wine-like character in it, but whereas the aroma is more white wine, the taste is closer to a pinot noir. There is a definite malty sweetness, but it hides in the background, giving balance but not exerting itself. There is a little bit of rose and berries in the aftertaste, and it leaves the mouth quite refreshed. Some herbal aspects throughout, there are elements of peach, apricot, and plum later in the glass, once the palate is used to the initial taste. All together, very well put together.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body, as expected from a sour beer. This is amplified by the high carbonation, and slight astringency. The carbonation helps cover up the lower than expected sourness, which could probably be slightly boosted. Quite drying aftertaste, but all-in-all not too bad.

Overall: I really had no idea what to expect from this one. Even with its healthy dose of ingredients, it's not the most complex sour (nor sour sour), but it is quite refreshing and really is a good ale for Autumn. There is obviously a lot of effort and thought that has gone into this brew, as it is quite well balanced, with no particular element dominating the beer. I bought 2 bottles when I was down in Tasmania, just because it looked interesting, and am pleasantly surprised by the result. I am planning on cellaring the second bottle for a bit, just to see how it changes.

**Edit** A short time after I finished the bottle, I have a lingering taste of hawthorn and caramel... weird (but nice).

500ml bottle purchased for me by @epiclurk.

Poured half the bottle carefully into a glass, avoiding any sediment. A clear, but extremely effervescent beer is the result—bold red in colour, with a good 5-7cm of spongey foam sitting above the body. The colour is nice, but the carbonation in the body seems excessive. Overall, not a bad looking beer, but I can see burping in my immediate future.

Nose is a pleasantly mild funky character, with a hint of vinous acidity to it. Some oak, a little berry sweetness, but the promise of refreshment whatever else. It has a slight coppery edge to it, and underlying everything is a dry, slightly floury tone. If that gets too prominent on the palate, it could be a problem. But the nose is nice.

Taste is, fortunately, cut from the same die: a clear, refreshing, slightly wild, but not exceedingly sour body, that leaves a dry and clean finish. There's a herbal flavour fluttering around the edges, and there's very little body to it overall, which is not unexpected for a wild. Not much in the way of malt or sweetness, or berry characters at all, except perhaps for the lightly herbal, perhaps slightly bitter sloe.

Overall, though this is good stuff: nicely balanced, clean, refreshing, and with a wild edge that doesn't trample over everything else. I think this is a much more sophisticated Hedgerow than their previous release. I'll be looking forward to next year's with greater anticipation as a result.

Pours murky brown with a large head.
Nose shows berries, funky notes and little else.
Flavours include acidic berries and some cardboard notes. Falls flat very quickly. Need more of a malt backbone, seems very weak (almost watery) at the moment.
Way too much carbonation.

Interesting beer this. Hate to put a label on a brewery or brewer, but Van Diemans seem more focused on doing standard English ales well. And they do. Some very well.
So to be honest, I wasn't over the moon with the first version of this beer. I just thought it lacked something. There's a lot of "stuff" added (rose hips and berries), but i felt they didn't end up adding a whole lot to the finished beer.
This year, they have changed things up a bit. Aging a portion on oak and souring it up just to mess with me I'm sure.
Anyway, lets get to the beer.

Popping the cap releases a forceful hiss hinting at higher than average carbonation and warning me to give a slow careful pout. Quite clear with an amber reddish hue. Very nice color. The head forms large and lightly tanned with great stability and lacing.

Aroma has a wheelbarrow full of sour. Now I must have become fairly accustomed to this style of beer recently because I am sure not too long ago this would have put me off. I think the general term is horse blanket but I don't know what that smells like. If this it, I wouldn't have one in my house. This beer however, is certainly welcome. Hard to pick anything beneath that, but something tells me there is more to it.

The taste backs off the sour a couple of notches allowing the malt and adjuncts to come through mildly. Not big on hop and malt character, but by being lighter in those areas it lets the rest of the beer show off.
The final pour adds some sediment which increases the yeast punch considerably. Much more strong fruit (overripe peach?) and yeast character with a bit of sourness at the finish. Sour character seems a bit different in the taste. A bit sharper probably due to he yeast where in the aroma the sourness fills the nostrils nearly unchecked.

Wow. Quite a departure from what I am used to when seeing the Van Diemans label yet just as enjoyable, complex and well made. Glad I picked one up. It may just help in my transformation from hophead to sour beer aficionado.