Vines Sangria - Merlot, Cranberry, Cara Cara, Lime & Orange Zest
Bellwoods Brewery
- From:
- Bellwoods Brewery
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Wild Ale
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- +8 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.89 | pDev: 3.08%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- May 18, 2024
- Added:
- Mar 12, 2024
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
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Vines is a wine-influenced series that celebrates barrel aged wild beer and locally grown grapes.
This particular Vines started in the same fashion as the others in our wine-influence series: by inoculating wort with yeast from pressed grape skins. While it was maturing and mulling things over in barrels, so were we. Where do we take this elixir after its ses jours in oak?, we wondered. Enter: Vines Sangria. For optimal beer/wine hybrid status, we turned to our wine-based mood board for inspiration and our next steps were clear: blend the barrels together and further condition the beer on Merlot, Cranberry, Cara Cara, Lime and Orange Zest.
This particular Vines started in the same fashion as the others in our wine-influence series: by inoculating wort with yeast from pressed grape skins. While it was maturing and mulling things over in barrels, so were we. Where do we take this elixir after its ses jours in oak?, we wondered. Enter: Vines Sangria. For optimal beer/wine hybrid status, we turned to our wine-based mood board for inspiration and our next steps were clear: blend the barrels together and further condition the beer on Merlot, Cranberry, Cara Cara, Lime and Orange Zest.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
4.01/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.01/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
473 mL can shipped from the brewery; dated Jan 18 2024 and served slightly chilled.
Pours hazy fuchsia-purple with magenta highlights; half a finger of soapy, pale pink-coloured froth dissipates in less than sixty seconds, reduced to a thin collar surrounding an otherwise barren surface. Looks the same as the other Merlot variant, and there's not much daylight between their respective aromas, either. Red wine, grape juice, plum and cranberry juice, with hints of barrel/oak and orange peel.
Not as saccharine as the other variant - I'm still getting plenty of red wine/Merlot grape, but the flavour profile is more citrus-oriented, as you might expect from the ingredients. The orange and lime zest acidity are noticeable early on in the sip, with tart cranberry juice surging on the back end; the cranberry astringency pairs well with grape skin & wood tannins at the finish. Cranberry, red wine and citrusy sangria flavours dissipate into the aftertaste, which dries off somewhat. Medium full in body, with moderately low carbonation that tickles the surface of the palate gently; feels smooth and fluffy on the tongue. I'll finish this glass easily, but one can is plenty for the night.
Final Grade: 4.01, eking out an A-. I think I preferred the strawberry/peach/lime zest version of Vines Sangria Merlot, but that mostly comes down to personal taste - I don't mind cranberries, but I definitely don't care for them as much as strawberries, or peaches for that matter. The biggest difference is that this one has that telltale cranberry astringency & bitterness, making for a less sugary and/or juicy brew. It's still really good though - I'd drink this again, but given a choice I'd pick the other one.
Mar 18, 2024Pours hazy fuchsia-purple with magenta highlights; half a finger of soapy, pale pink-coloured froth dissipates in less than sixty seconds, reduced to a thin collar surrounding an otherwise barren surface. Looks the same as the other Merlot variant, and there's not much daylight between their respective aromas, either. Red wine, grape juice, plum and cranberry juice, with hints of barrel/oak and orange peel.
Not as saccharine as the other variant - I'm still getting plenty of red wine/Merlot grape, but the flavour profile is more citrus-oriented, as you might expect from the ingredients. The orange and lime zest acidity are noticeable early on in the sip, with tart cranberry juice surging on the back end; the cranberry astringency pairs well with grape skin & wood tannins at the finish. Cranberry, red wine and citrusy sangria flavours dissipate into the aftertaste, which dries off somewhat. Medium full in body, with moderately low carbonation that tickles the surface of the palate gently; feels smooth and fluffy on the tongue. I'll finish this glass easily, but one can is plenty for the night.
Final Grade: 4.01, eking out an A-. I think I preferred the strawberry/peach/lime zest version of Vines Sangria Merlot, but that mostly comes down to personal taste - I don't mind cranberries, but I definitely don't care for them as much as strawberries, or peaches for that matter. The biggest difference is that this one has that telltale cranberry astringency & bitterness, making for a less sugary and/or juicy brew. It's still really good though - I'd drink this again, but given a choice I'd pick the other one.
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