Skully Barrel No. 54: Cherry Crisp
Paradox Beer Company

500mL bottle from Hair of the DoG Bottle Shop (Williamsburg, VA). 13.49. 2017. Served in a Barrel and Barley teku. Enjoyed 7/14/18.

Pours a deep red with about a three quarter finger cap ecrue bubbles that crackle away within seconds. No retention other than a wire thin rail around the edges.

Aromas of sour cherries, white grapes, woodsy earth and some old grain.

Flavors are an earthy sour mixture of cherry skins, red wine, wet wood, cereal, slight caramel and a little stone fruit pie.

Dry feel, medium body with pretty light carbonation. Aftertaste of cherry, wine and earthy soured grain.

Paradox delivers another impressive barrel aged wild ale. Cherry Crisp isn’t quite as bold with the cherry as I was hoping but is a well-layered and tasty brew. I have yet to be disappointed by Paradox.

 

A: pours a clear red with little to no head.

S: red current, red rasberry, cherry, back note of pie spice and cinnamon.

T: cherry, red rasberry up from. Background cinnamon. Spices,

M: light body, med carbonation. A bit if astringency.

O: a great sour. Tart but not too tart. Big cherry and red fruit flavor and aroma.

$ 13.77 (Including shipping)/500 mL capped bottle ($ 0.815/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA.
Undated bottle, other than “2017 AM-OAK 102717”, stored at 42 degrees and served at 48 (Per bottle instructions) degrees in a hand-washed and hand-dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.
Body – Medium red-amber, hazy, effervescent. Bottle conditioned.
Head – None. Fizzy and any head disappears before it can form. No ring, no layer.
Lacing – None.
First pour – Light amber, clear.
Aroma – 3 - After the initial burst of cherry and oak when the bottle was opened, the aroma rapidly fades to a barely noticeable level of vinegary acetic acid.
Flavor – 3 - Begins moderately sour with oak dominating the cherries. The middle and end are simply sour. Acetic acid seems to dominate lactic. No hops, no malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Impression and summation – 3 – I like wild ales and I like most cherry-based beers. However, I don’t care for this beer. The appearance is as expected from cherry-based wild ale, no surprises. The aroma is practically non-existent. The flavor accentuates the sourness and makes the oak and cherry transitory. The palate is as expected. The dating is ambiguous – is 102717 the date of barrel entrance or bottling date? Or perhaps BB date? The saving grace for this brew is the other information on the label – fermenting yeast and bacteria, food pairing suggestions, serving temperature and glassware suggestion. While the price point is understandable with the production of this beer, overall, IMHO, this is a waste of cherries and barrel time.

Clear deep red pour with no head. Aroma is tart dark fruit and the taste follows the nose with a very tart dark cherry flavor standing out. Medium bodied and viscous. And for the record, it’s barrel 54z