Ciel Rouge A Nuit | Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Pouring a cellar temp bottle into a snifter, the beer is a deep mahogany hue with some ruby highlights on the edges of the glass. The beer has fairly mild aroma with some tart cherry and a bit of musty blanket wet straw scent.
There is a bit of a frothy beige head that foams up and is gone almost immediately and the glass has no bubbles on the surface or rising as I sample the beer.
First sip reveals an average body and slight syrupy texture with very fine and tingly carbonation.
Flavor is sweet cherry for an instant, moves to tart acetic fruit, then the musty funky blanket hits my palate. The finish dries out and leaves a very nutty finish, almost like I was eating almonds or walnuts with the intensity of the nuttiness. AT first the nut flavor is a little off-putting, but it grows on me and I enjoy it by the end of my glass.
I dont get any booze, it is a lower ABV, and I dont have any problems drinking the bottle down solo tonite.
The beer is an interesting style that isnt brewed often, so that gets points for the brewery right away.
I think it is a good introduction to the style and I wish there was a little more fruitiness in the beer, but overall it is a solid one.
Check it out and share with someone not familiar with the style.

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3.25/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a snifter

A- pour clear and brown with a small foamy head, reduces quickly leaving a ring

S-tart and fruity with notes of red apple, cherry and grape skin. Caramel undertones, perhaps from aging, a hint of yeasty must

T- puckering up front with tart cherry and apple, grape, earthy yeast , finishes dry with a yeast linger that seems a bit off, tastes like paper

M- light body with low carbonation, puckering mouthfeel with a dry finish

O- decent, strange aftertaste

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3.19/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Consumed 8/30/13

Split with Goblinmunkey7

Appearance: Pours a dark, dark red with some dark brown highlights - pours with a small, beige head, fades to a few wisps of a cap, leaves some streaks of lacing

Smell: Caramel and some darker malts, with some weird funk - caramel and some amber malts serve as the foundation - sour and funky aromas, somewhat lactic - a range of other aromas including leather, nuts, vinegar, cherry pits, dark fruits, wood, and a musty old basement

Taste: More attractive than the aroma - not a lot of sourness, but some - tart, like cherries, with some wet, musty, lactic sourness, with some vinegar - some musty funk - a lot of nuts and some earthiness - caramel and amber malts

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, nice carbonation, pretty drinkable

Overall: Kind of tastes like Rhode Island... very wet and musty

This tastes like it could have used some more time souring. It's interesting, and not a bad Flanders Red, but it's not particularly exceptional in any way. Might be worth a try, might improve over time.

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3.25/5  rDev +3.8%

3.98/5  rDev +27.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Translucent amber with some lacing.

S - Sour, peanuts, and roastiness. A very nutty smell.

T - That nutty smell definitely comes through in the taste. Tastes like a sour brown ale with lots of peanut, roasty notes, oak, tartness, and a bit of soy sauce (in a good way). Very unique.

M - Light bodied with medium carbonation and a sticky finish.

This was a surprise to see on shelves. For being open for a little over a year, Grey Sail has put out quite a few good beers in a variety of styles. They're a class act and I'm happy to find another reason to support them. This is not an overwhelmingly sour beer, but it's got a unique flavor with a lot of brown ale characteristics. Really enjoyed this one.

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3.73/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Bottle shared with friends a week or so again, took some good notes. Nice to see a good brewery down in Westerly, RI, maybe my favorite town to visit in summers.

A- Red bodied beer poured into a tulip. An off-white head forms to about a finger with a foamy texture. Retention is on-par with other Flanders I have had, not great but a small ring leaves spotty lace.

S- Slightly nutty and tart red cherry forward. Some malt sweetness and oak behind that.

T- A good amount of tart red cherry fruit and acetic acid sour is the bulk of the flavor. The fruit flavors are quite nice and the sour character is moderate, a great level for this beer. Slight oak and a vanilla hint too.

MF- Light body that has a pretty dry feel overall. Tartness is moderately high and carbonation is medium-low. Foamy texture.

For a random shelf grab American made Flanders Red, this is pretty nice IMO. A good level of fruit flavors and that nice acetic tartness characteristic of the style.

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3.5/5  rDev +11.8%

3.5/5  rDev +11.8%

2.5/5  rDev -20.1%

2.5/5  rDev -20.1%

3.76/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Served from a 750ml bottle into an Allagash Coolship tumbler. Cellar temps.

Appearance- Dark brownish/red with quick white head that stays at the edge of the beer.

Smell- Straight peanuts and oak. Not great. No real tart characteristics or fruit, but mostly malt dominates.

Taste- Light sourness, mild cherry and oak, still some peanuts or soy sauce. Interesting flavors. Nice sour lingering aftertaste of oak though.

Mouthfeel- Nice light and bubbly with mild tartness. Tart and refreshing.

Overall- Solid effort from Grey Sail and I look forward to possibly more sours to come from them.

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3/5  rDev -4.2%

3/5  rDev -4.2%

2.85/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.75

Thanks to angrybabboon for sharing the bottle.

Appearance: Hazed dark reddish copper. Small off-white collar. Moderate carbonation on the pour. No lacing.

Smell: Sweet vinegar. Acetic coupled with a dark fruitiness. Mainly cherry flesh. Slight hints of leather and funk. Mild tartness builds as it warms. Slight oakiness with some leafy grass. A touch earthy. Very mild balsamic.

Taste: Neutral. Slight nuttiness through the back. Lightly acetic with worn leather. Some tart cherry flesh. Very minor funk with a slight malt sweetness. Oak, but barely. Tart and citric on the back. Lemon juice. Warming builds then citric element and leaves it with a straight lemon juice finish. Weirdly earthy and nutty, like cashew. Very slightly tart, like watered down Warhead. Burst of flavor up front leaves nothing.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with a slightly above average carbonation. Surprisingly clean and slightly bubbly.

Overall: French for lemon juice.

it's citric and decent up front but has no depth or complexity. That's about it.

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2.5/5  rDev -20.1%

4/5  rDev +27.8%

3.31/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

4.25/5  rDev +35.8%

3.44/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2.75/5  rDev -12.1%

2.25/5  rDev -28.1%

4/5  rDev +27.8%

1.5/5  rDev -52.1%

3.5/5  rDev +11.8%

4/5  rDev +27.8%