Le Contrabassiste
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

 

 

Having this on-tap at Tremont Tap House at their annual Bell's Ruins Cleveland Beer Week tap take over event. Served in a pint glass, this beer draws a medium, slightly cloudy/hazy, brown color with a white head that's about 1/2 inch thick when first serves that settles to a thin ring lining the inside of the glass and not much lacing at all. Has aromas somewhat bready malt, maple brown sugar, and some sour barnyard funk notes. The taste is exactly the same with, with bready, slightly toasted, caramel malts, some maple brown sugar sweetness. This is followed by a barnyard funk and sourness with some cherry and currant notes. Really unique and excellent flavor profile overall. Has a fairly crisp, yet smooth, medium to full bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Also has a clean finish and somewhat dry and tart after taste. Quite easy to drink all around here. An excellent beer overall.

Eric

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this beer is awesome, havent had very much wild ale stuff from bells, so a real treat to get to try this one. there is a listing for a brett edition of this, but i think its a double listing as this is very obviously a wild ale. hazy amber in color, cherry colored really, looks fruited its so red, and the head is tan and bubbly and holds well. it smells fantastic, tangy woody weirdness, not quite sour enough to be a flemish type, not readily recognizable as similar to anything else i have had. i get dried fruit notes out of the malt, and a very complex mix of yeasty bacterial cultures from saison elements to funky brett to lemony lacto. summery and light despite its color and depth. the best feature here is the unique fermentation palate, taking wild ale to a place it rarely goes, and i love it. there is a hint of vinegar on the back end, really tangy and dry, and carbonated brilliantly. definitely spent time on wood, or at least some of it did, not sure of this is a blend or what. very expressive and unique beer, nice to get to see this side of bells, i was not even really aware of any wild ale they made, so this is a nice change of pace. do they package this one? if so, i would be interesting in trading for some!