Vigilance Wild Ale
Wicked Weed Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served on-tap at Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville, NC

A: Pours a very hazy straw yellow in color with light amounts of gentle visible carbonation along the surface of the beer and some light golden yellow highlights. The beer has a quarter finger tall fizzy white head that reduces to a small patch of thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Minimal amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of brett funkiness with moderate tart aromas of guava and pineapple.

T: Upfront there is a light flavor of pale malts with moderate amounts of tartness. There is a strong flavor of wet horse blanket funkiness combined with moderate flavors of guava and pineapple as well as some tropical fruit hops. Minimal amounts of bitterness are present.

M: Light to medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly heavier than moderate amounts of acidic prickliness are present.

O: This is a very enjoyable and approachable "sour" and funky beer - as a person that really enjoys brett I found this beer to be excellent and one I would gladly have a couple of more times.

on-tap at the brewery

"Vigilance is the second beer from our barrel aged wild ale program. Reminiscent of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, the tropical and musty profile of our house made brettanomyces strain accentuates the aroma of pineapple, guava and kiwi. 85 lbs of pineapple and 30 lbs of guava combined with exceptional effervescence create a fruit forward, yet dry and lingering finish."

I really liked this - nice NZ hop profile (not sure if NS were used, but certainly something similar to that) - the guava comes through nicely and the pineapple surprisingly doesnt provide a cloying sweetness. Not extremely sour, but the brett plays nicely. This is one of the better WW beers I've had.

A: This poured a cloudy dark straw with a little white head.
S: It smelled like Serenity. Tart vinegar and funky oak with a lot of citrus and unripe apricot.
T: It tasted like Serenity too! Earthy citrus and tart white wine vinegar, with some unripe apricot and funky oak. It had a crisp tart aftertaste.
M: Same body as Serenity. Watery with lots of carbonation. Nice and lively.
D: This was a waste of 85 lbs of pineapple and 30 lbs of guava, because they didn't change the beer at all from Serenity. Still very nice, but disappointing.

 

 

This is a straight 3.5 all the way across. A forward brett ale, with not much else going on. the flavors the brett lends to this brew include horseblanket, a bit of citrus, and some light hints of leather and tobacco. Nothing super complex, and it stays the same throughout the entire glass, but the price is right and it hits the spot when you have an itch for some funk.