La Baie Sauvage
pFriem Family Brewers

2024 bottling

Appearance: Pours clear and the color of blueberry juice with a one finger mauve head that leaves a few strands behind

Smell: Lactic aromatics with huckleberries galore; very fruity with hints of oak and vanilla

Taste: Sweet huckleberry and vanilla yogurt flavors forward with Bretty funk developing; after the swallow, the oak takes over and dries out the sweeter fruit; the finish has some tartness

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body with moderate carbonation; the pucker factor is modest

Overall: I only recall having had one other huckleberry beer but this one is far more memorable; just outstanding

 

12.7oz bottle corked and caged on 4-19-24, opened 8-23-25.
Nice pop, steam release, and hiss upon opening.
2 finger pink tint head with a big audible sizzle. Falls fairly quickly and leaves a ring and island. Purple/pink body and somewhat opaque. No lacing.
Vinous nose with wood, funk, hint of something sour to come and a mixtureof red and blue fruit.
Tart, brambly blue and black fruit. Berries.
Light body, medium-high and tingly carbonation. Moderate pucker of acidity and a tangy, tart, fruity and dry finish.
Outstanding.

easily the best huckleberry beer ive ever had, labor intensive for sure, two year lambic type base too, and for how much i love just about all of pfriem, its these fully wild oak aged brews of theirs i love the most. this has a stunning pour, like blueberry juice violet and intensely colored, off clear but still bright, radiant even, and it gives rise to a full inch of airy belgian looking head all fizzy and popping, somehow close to pure white, not stained pink from the fruit, sits lovely in a white wine glass. the berries in this are awesome, a combination of blueberry skins and tannins, blackberry and marionberry sweetness, red wine grape terroir complexity and earthiness, while it also brings some currant astringent and medicinal character. i get some light fruit vinegar and acidity from the fermentation too, some enriching oak, mature bretty funk as well, a note of lemon, rose wine, and slate. wet and dry at the same time of that makes sense, piquant but not too sour to drink on, very vinous as it warms, a light strawberry thing too, slight jammy character in that its quite a concentrated fruit profile, but its not overly sweet, especially at the end, its fast and brisk with rushing bottle conditioned carbonation. rose petals, not quite ripe blueberries, and even a brine suggestion, super cool. i found this dynamic and mature, a great expression of the fruit, and a total banger from pfriem. i should have bought two because this is going to age like a boss! up their with their very best!

 

Cellared a year. Violet maroon pour, dulled pinkish head. Very berry and oak forward with lingering brett in the nose.
Taste adds minerality and yogurt funk on the backend with an elevated yeast. The berries taste a lot like blueberries to me, I thought that was the berry used before I read the info, go figure. Feel is surprisingly simple with light sourness with maybe a kiss of acidity if that, smooth and light.

 

Pours a slightly hazy red with energetic carbonation with a fizzy light head that dissipates with a noisy luster. Aroma is light, clean and tartly berry. Taste is mouth puckeringly tart, with a crisp, clean Huckleberry flavor (yeah, I know what Huckleberries taste like -- well, it's been a while). The profile vanishes quickly, leaving behind a clean palate. A nice difference from heavier brews!

 

 

 

What a lovely domestic lambic. The body is light and airy, though a bit under carbonated. Pleasantly tart rather than aggressively sour, the huckleberries actually have a bit sweetness showing under the musty lemons and hay of the base beer. There is a little green pepper at the end. Very enjoyable.