Mercator
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company - Midtown Brewery & Biergarten

Had on tap. Very dark amber brown with a khaki cap. Apple cider vinegar, dark grains, lacto, cherry, faint vinous barrel and funk. Taste adds plum and the barrel is much more present but in a somewhat astringent way. Feel is sour and surprisingly funky, not the smoothest and pretty light. New world and complex but in an odd way given the style

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a nice red hue - clear to the eye. Huge thick fizzy head - almost too much head on this one. Once the head settles down there is a ring of tan foam along the outside of the beer.

Smell has strong aromas of grain, tart cherry, vinegar and a horse blanket like aroma. Quite nice for the style.

Taste is strong on the grain. Touches of vinegar, tart cherry, bread, slight red wine, and plum. Some notes of oak are noted on the finish, but its not very strong. Lovely level of tartness - puckers the lips - but not overwhelmingly tart.

Feel is rather light, pretty crisp. Medium carbonation. Nice balanced tartness. A bit rustic in feel, but it works with the style. Finish has some tannin like character and is decently dry.

Overall a very nice, true to style, Flanders red ale. Another well crafted beer from UC/BC.

 

 

 

So whenever reviewing Urban chestnut beers I keep in mind that this brewery is ran by a traditionalist. So anything they label as their reverence series beers I compare to traditional and original forms of that beer. This review is based off of what I have had on draught comparing notes from out of the bottle. First things first if you notice on the beers bio page it is labeled on here as a Flanders oud bruin. On the label of the bottle and on the draught board at UCBC they have it labeled as a Flemish/Flanders red. I will be reviewing this based upon it being a Flemish red ale, considering an oud bruin is a completely different beer. When poured the beer appears a little lighter than blood red with an two finger off white colored head. When the glass is held to the nose I picked up aromas of a verity of cherries, slight raspberry, plum, softness of a red delicious apple, oak, slight vinous and red wine. The mouthfeel is on the lighter side of the medium spectrum. Medium carbonation. If this were blind tasting I would honestly think this beer was from Belgium. The taste match the nose practically identically. It is very well balanced just like the beers origins it is not noticeably acidic and has a slight tartness. Very good control over the lactobacillus and not allowing this to become a vinegar bomb or acid bomb like most American breweries do. Side note I know normally Apple notes can be considered off flavors the red delicious note I pick up on is definitely not an off flavor.

 

Light Amber hued with a fingernail of beige around the rim. The aroma is of light barnyard funk and a light sourness. I taste tart notes of barnyard funk, lightly sour tart cherry, and dry woodsy oak. The mouth is moderately carbonated and crisp.

Pours an effervescent & scarlet-hued orange with 2+ fingers of sandy colored head. No head retention or lacing

S: Apple vinegar, & a little raspberry

T: Pears, tartness, a touch of oaky dryness & raspberry , plus a little grassiness up front. Raspberry, dryness. & tartness as this warms. Finishes very dry, with raspberry & a little tartness, slightly sourness

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation,

Kind of a training wheels Flanders Red, drinkable, but this is not one you must seek out

 

Red in color with a slight haze and a medium cream-colored head. The aroma has a tart and spice quality, with lots of fruit (berries especially). The taste is semi-dry, with wood, fruit, and a medium sour note. Drier and less tart than many of the style, but very well done. Drinkable and approachable. Medium body.