Cherry Angelina
Brewery Vivant

 

I had this at the brewery. What a contract with their cherry saison.
This pours a ruddy red color. It’s all sorts of sweet and sour tart cherry deliciousness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

L - massive beige head atop a translucent maroon body.

S - cherries, brett, brown sugar.

T - quite tart cherries. Funk, wood, some sourness, quite a bit of acid. No bitterness. Low sweetness. No booziness.

F - medium-light body with moderate carb.

O - a tasty cherry treat.

 

 

 

A - Pours a dark reddish brown with a two finger off white head. Nice amount of spotty lacing.

S - Aroma is sweet and tart cherries, green apple and oak.

T - The taste is sweet and tart cherries, lemon peel, green apple skins, brown sugar and oak.

M - Medium/light body with medium carbonation. Soft mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - Nice fruited sour. The cherries add a nice tart sweetness to the original base beer. Alcohol hardly noticeable.

 

Very good. As enjoyable as a regular Angelina, but obviously with more cherry flavor.

500 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2018 vintage bottling. Listed at 8.8%. Pour slightly hazy deep reddish orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/lightly tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, and brown bread; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, peppercorn, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, dark/bready malts, and oak barrel notes; with great strength. Taste of big juicy/lightly tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, and brown bread; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, peppercorn, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and light yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of juicy/tart/tangy red/black cherries, fruit skin/pits, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, lemon, orange, peach, plum, pear, green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, oaken vanilla, peppercorn, light funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, dark/bready malts, and oak barrel flavors; with an awesome malt/tartness and tangy fruit balance; with zero puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tartness, tangy fruit, and yeast/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Lightly increasing warmth of 8.8% after the finish. Overall this is a fantastic fruited sour red ale! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, cherries, dark/bready malts, and oak barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish, not overly lactic. Well rounded Brett/Bacteria complexity and balanced cherries; great oak presence and malt backbone against acidity. Not as jammy on the cherries as I hoped, but they nailed it. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected. Loved it just as much as the base beer for the most part.