Funkyard Dog
3 Stars Brewing Company

 

Pours a dark amber color. The head is two fingers high and eggshell in shade. Retention is poor, typical of the style. Still, it looks pretty good for a wild ale (it's not overly turbid like some NE-style IPA, for instance).

Ooooh, the aroma suggests something complex and wonderful. Not only is the brett incredibly well nuanced (offering great citrus tones beyond the general funk), but the oak cuts through the sweetness perfectly without overpowering. Notes of tart cherry, peach, pineapple, apricot, and tangerine all attack the nose with aplomb. There's a slight touch of caramel malt that suggests the brett hasn't eaten through this one yet. It doesn't seem assertively sour, but it really displays a mastery of brett many American wild brewers don't seem to have.

Hmm, the flavor is a huge step down compared to what I got from the nose. For one, it's heavy on the acetic acid - aka vinegar. If the aroma suggested something similar to a lambic, the flavor suggests more of a Flemish brown (or amber maybe?) It does open up with a pleasant (if mild) brett characteristic, and the finish is loaded with cherries. It's just that the vinegar is way too vivid here. This also seems lacto-heavy, bringing a mid-taste of lemon and Greek yogurt. Both conspire to keep this sour ale from achieving greatness.

This is a fairly hefty-feeling beer that's somewhat low on carbonation. However, the oak tannins and lacto bite make this very dry. The feel is also slightly chalky, obstructing the easygoing nature some.

Let me start by saying that I believe even a mediocre wild ale (like this) should get a higher score than some mediocre pilsner or IPA, due to the fact that the former will usually feature more dimensions and complexity than your typical bog-standard hoppy beer. Let's be fair here, this IS far deeper than the "average" beer. It's a shame it smelled so amazing, because the flavor offers elements that aren't particularly desired (read: vinegar). I'd be intrigued to try this with a year or two on it, but I highly doubt I'd spend nearly $15 on a small C&C bottle again.

3.72/5: Smells incredible, tastes a bit like something I'd drizzle over fish & chips

shared one of these with my brother while we were in florida. it is fro a brewery i had never heard of before, so its cool to be introduced to them with both a beer this good, and one this process intensive and ambitious, we both loved it. somewhat fuller bodied, hazy but heady, and with a complex wild nose thats as funky as it is sour. there is a great mix of cultures in here, from the citric souring bacteria to a more rustic wild funkiness, it has a lot going on in terms of the fermenting agents, but its not a sloppy soup of critters, its a mightily well refined beer, possibly a blend of a couple of different finished brews, maybe thats how the yeasts come through so cleanly and distinctly, i dont know, but its impressive. lemon and white white notes to this, i think i get some clean oak out of it too, with an increasing acidity as it warms up, and not so much else going on that the simple and clean malt base cant be appreciated. its also really well carbonated and on the drier side, not so acidic i couldnt have more than one. we were really stoked on this one, and i am not pretty stoked in general about this brewery. cant wait to get into some more of their beers. i hope they are all this good!

 

375 poured into Teku. Loved Ricky Rose, had to pick this up. Bottled 12/12/16 so less than a month in bottle. The wire was twisted in the opposite direction as most hand spun (I'm assuming) cork and cage bottles.

Rich orange pour with minimal white head. Fairly similar to a geuze in appearance, can't complain.

Tons of peach and berry fruit, and a big whiff of Juicy Fruit gum, maybe a little bubblegum too. It kind of smells like powdered sugar/ powdered donut, which may be part of the chewing gum sensation because it reminds me of whatever that powder is that's on gum. Pretty amazing for no fruit added.

Not particularly lively on the palate, maybe the current lowish carb is a factor, but it's still simialr enough to most geuze to be correct for this type of beer. This would be awesome with oysters I think. Not insanely puckering or funky, nice balance. Very clean brett, would be one thing that comes to mind. I could see this improving in the bottle.

Definitely worth a bottle or two if you like lambic and AWAs. 3 Stars seems to be finding their niche with these 375 releases.