Tafelbier
Strange Roots Experimental Ales

500mL bottle poured into a Teku glass
A: Hazy light yellow with a 1.5 finger head
S: Citrus, floral, brett
T: Sour and funky but at the same time light and approachable. Similar nondescript citrus, floral and brett as the nose
M: Light-bodied, moderately sour
O: A bit simple but enjoyable; would be a good introduction to the wild ale style

 

 

Appearance: I loud pffft when I popped the cap alerted me that this was going to have a lot of carbonation; so it was no surprise when the head built up to four fingers; fairly rapid dissipation, however, and soon we are down to one finger capping the hazy golden liquid; spotty lacing

Smell: Funky, with a lemon yogurt character

Taste: Very funky, at the outset, with a rapidly growing lemon and green apple character; the funky horse blanket provides an underpinning aspect that I have not encountered before; the finish is dry but the lemon and green apples linger in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium body with high carbonation

Overall: I enjoyed my visit to the Draai Laag brewpub and they are doing some very interesting things; this beer was not really a success, however

Overall a very average Draai Laag beer. Color is very light. Flavor matches the color. It's not overly sour either.

This will be the last of my entries for New Odds & Sods Sunday (Week 633). I recently completed a massive horizontal of New Belgium beers & now I am drinking & reviewing (mostly) single-o beers from The Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody. My efforts are really beginning to pay off in that I am seeing movement & floor space + my guilt is beginning to abate.

From the bottle: "An indigenous table beer with a touch of Brettanomyces funk."; "Wild by Design"; "Original Gravity: 19 (deg.) P (1.048 S.G.)"; "Apparent Degree of Attenuation: 89%"; "Made With: Brettanomyces Lambicus".

I Pop!ped the cap & began a gentle pour, in keeping with my New Year's Resolution and my Lenten denial. Aggro pours from bottles are now (mostly) a thing of the past. Even my gentle pour was bringing forth a massive three-plus fingers of dense, rocky, bone-white head that seemed to be regenerating itself. Color was Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was more like a punch than a touch of Brett funk. It was fairly prevalent, but today has been a soup to nuts kind of day anyway, so it fit right in. Mouthfeel was a bit thin. The taste was REALLY tart, very lemony and immediately identifiable as Brett. Oh my! Did the Brett get away from them or have they become inured to it to call it "a touch of Brett. funk"? Phew! They wildly undersold it on this bottle. This was really pungent with the barnyard tastes and flavors and the lemony tartness was close to welding my lips shut. It was like a colleague told me as a teacher - How do you know when it is time to retire? You'll know! How do I know when it is time to wrap up NBS (Week 633)? I know that this is my last for the day! A 5.6% table/Paters bier? Hmmm. Think of as many tart and sour things as you can - persimmons, rhubarb, lemons, alum, kumquats, lychee, green apples, quince, Are you able to pry your lips apart? This beer was as though all of them had been squeezed into the bottle and fermented. Finish was so dry and vinous that I called to cancel my upcoming facelift since it had puckered my skin so tightly that every pock mark, wrinkle and line was smoothed out like my last botox injection. Phew! Okay, this really kind of irritates me! We are admonished to rate to style, not to taste, but this did NOT live up to its billing. I was not ready for this kind of intensity in what they called a "Table Beer". Booo!

Pours a pale straw color, head is extreme to an annoying degree. Aroma has some classic Brett wafts - loam, lemon, hay - but there is a bit of a spoiled egg smell also, though it dissipates quickly. Taste is better, some bright lemon zest & other citrus notes, Brett isn't overwhelming and there is a crisp crystal malt presence underneath. Finishes a bit vinegary but other than that pretty solid brew.

 

A tasty sweet tart, likely kettle soured. A straightforward flavor profile with tart pineapple and a bit of lemon to pucker the tongue. Plenty of brett to add a bit of straw that nearly balances it. As is, fairly simple but tasty and satisfyingly crisp.