Motley Cru (2018) - Blueberry
Bellwoods Brewery
SCORE
84
Good
84
Good
Motley Cru is our anniversary barrel blend, released (fashionably late)
each year to commemorate another lap around the sun. It represents a
lot of planning, labour, patience and creativity – a final destination for some of our most prized barrels.
This year’s blend -- comprised of sours, brett beers, and wild ales
that we picked from both foudres and barrels -- is a particularly
significant one because it happens to be the first MC to be
brewed, barrel aged, blended, and bottle conditioned entirely
within our Hafis production facility. In this setting the barrels
slumber in peace, produce better beers, and house a sassy
cohort of bugs and yeast that are constantly working on becoming their best selves.
In the 2018 blend we prioritized punchy acidity and bright
fruitiness, nuanced brett characteristics, and complex wild yeast
derived flavours. We divided the beer unequally into 3 parts, before adding fruit to create variants.
Blueberry Variant: The colour of summer berries, with a beautiful
jewel-toned transparency in the glass. Aromatics of blueberry
fruit roll up, black tea, and vanilla. Flavours of tart blueberry,
mint, and funky brett. Lively carbonation with a dry, tannic body.
each year to commemorate another lap around the sun. It represents a
lot of planning, labour, patience and creativity – a final destination for some of our most prized barrels.
This year’s blend -- comprised of sours, brett beers, and wild ales
that we picked from both foudres and barrels -- is a particularly
significant one because it happens to be the first MC to be
brewed, barrel aged, blended, and bottle conditioned entirely
within our Hafis production facility. In this setting the barrels
slumber in peace, produce better beers, and house a sassy
cohort of bugs and yeast that are constantly working on becoming their best selves.
In the 2018 blend we prioritized punchy acidity and bright
fruitiness, nuanced brett characteristics, and complex wild yeast
derived flavours. We divided the beer unequally into 3 parts, before adding fruit to create variants.
Blueberry Variant: The colour of summer berries, with a beautiful
jewel-toned transparency in the glass. Aromatics of blueberry
fruit roll up, black tea, and vanilla. Flavours of tart blueberry,
mint, and funky brett. Lively carbonation with a dry, tannic body.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York
4.1/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.1/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This one pours a slightly hazy purplish color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.
This smells pretty sour, with acidic blueberry, some spice, a bit of vanilla, red wine, and some citrusiness.
This is probably the least of the 2018 crop of Motley Cru, but it's still well made. It's a bit unbalanced in the acidity, but the blueberry punches through forcefully. The base isn't as prevalent (same as the black raspberry) but you do get some of that citrus funkiness and a bit of wine funk.
This is light bodied and very drinkable, with a nice crispness, and a definite lingering acidity.
This is still a very nice beer, despite 3/3 for the year.
Jul 18, 2019This smells pretty sour, with acidic blueberry, some spice, a bit of vanilla, red wine, and some citrusiness.
This is probably the least of the 2018 crop of Motley Cru, but it's still well made. It's a bit unbalanced in the acidity, but the blueberry punches through forcefully. The base isn't as prevalent (same as the black raspberry) but you do get some of that citrus funkiness and a bit of wine funk.
This is light bodied and very drinkable, with a nice crispness, and a definite lingering acidity.
This is still a very nice beer, despite 3/3 for the year.
Reviewed by Phyl21ca from Canada (QC)
3.75/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle: Poured a light blueish color ale with a medium size foamy head with limited retention and no lacing. Aroma of tart blueberry notes with light funky notes. Taste is a mix of blueberry notes with some sour notes, light oak presence with hint of acidic notes also perceptible. Funky yeast notes are also prevalent. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Enjoyable but the mix isn’t has great as the other 2018 releases.
Dec 22, 2018
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