Albus Quercus
La Cumbre Brewing Co.

Semi-cloudy peach orange body topped with a very fine and sculpted head; dense and spongy; tight rings of foam grace the inside of the glass. Dull, earthy sweetness; woody and musty; dried peaches. Syrupy sweetness; fruity; a mild citrus tanginess; bitter with farmhouse ale phenolic notes. Heavy body; some cloying sweetness; sticky.

I'm betting this beer is about five years old (2016) as the bottle neck tag mentions the brewery's 6h anniversary (they started operations in 2010. So, for an old, unrefrigerated beer, it ain't bad for what it is.

No bottle dating information; poured at 49° F.

 

some haze in the golden yellow brew with a big pile of foam in the Brigand chalice. Aroma of vanilla with a sharp fruity nose. Peach and some sweet, mellow malt. The tangy barrel taste comes through eventually. The nicest winey flavor and more in the nose, along with the Belgian character.

Some yeast flavor along with the dry finish. Sharper aftertaste with dry cider. This is actually quite delicious. I don't think I've had a better Chardonnay flavored beer. From the capped 750 ml bottle purchased at Grapevine Liquors in Denver.

 

 

 

750 ml bottle. Pours very hazy dark gold with a monstrous bubbly white head that retains well and laces the glass.

The aroma is musty Belgian yeast with some banana and cracker malts and some vinous grape.

The flavor is sweet bready malts, peppery spices and some grapes with quite a bit of vanilla and some vinous alcohol. It becomes more wine-like and less vanilla as it warms. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with slightly sharp carbonation.

Overall, it's decent but not really my thing.

 

a chardonnay barrel aged saison, and a mighty robustly flavored one at that, tons of barrel on this, i like it a lot, but it is a little short of fully epic in a few categories. its not quite as lively on the pour as i like in saison, i can twirl up a little white head on it, but i cant get it to stay. clearish for the style though, deep brassy golden in color, with some evident viscosity. aroma of heavy white wine and barrel, i mean heavy, its almost sweet from the grape there is so much of it, and made rich and mellow by the wood. the flavor is just the same in those respects, not nearly as dry as i like my saison to be generally speaking, but in this case its neat because the source is so cool. i wish for a more aggressive yeast here, its lightly belgian with some complimentary fruit notes, but its not enough for the big flavors i dont think. a little brett pitch would also be cool. i like all the wood in here, like drinking lumber, almost odd this a liquid while the flavors seems so solid. if it had more carbonation it would be a much better experience, its not flat, but for how heavy it is it almost feels like apple juice or something, dense without quite the life it needs. still, i really dug this one and think its something quite different than i have seen from these guys before. well worth checking out, especially if you get off on the white wine thing, so much chardonnay on this!

 

Pours golden with a great white head and a nice lacing left to side of the glass. Aroma offers some grapes and woodiness from wine barrel, banana, clove, a little apple, a little (but not enough) pepper. Flavor follows suit. Medium bodied, active mouthfeel. Semi dry finish. Overall, solid offering from La Cumbre but I have never been much of a fan of barrel aged saisons and this one didn't do anything to change my mind on them.