Barrel-Aged Wild Grapevine
Scratch Brewing Company

 

amazing beer here, a little moldy old bottle of scratch beer floating around a market where nobody knows what it is, great find for me, drinking beautifully right now. reddish amber color with some very fine sediment causing a little haziness as i pour it down, chestnut red to brown, fizzy in terms of carbonation but the head settles back to less than a quarter inch of thin tan bubbles. the label says its made with grape pomace, but its also done with chunks of toasted grapevine i think, not sure what the barrel is but it smells and tastes more like red wine than any kind of whiskey, could be neutral oak at this point, mature and funky, tart and weird, nuances of raisin and dried red fruits, red wine vinegar, good sherry, toasted oak, some sweetness and some tannins from the grape elements, woody, some of that tang like chewing on fresh curly grapevine, wild yeast and saison character, white and black pepper, mulling spices, light oxidation, alcohol presence, and even licorice, very interesting and compelling, seems old in a good way. strong vinous aspects, port wine, deep walnut character, and a lot of malt depth still in tact, on the one hand sort of english strong ale with some bready rich crystal malt and molasses notes, but then also kind of doppelbock-esque with how it feels and the long sweetness, but even an almost belgian abbey type malt, very complex and integrated. subtle vinegar sourness, more sharp as it warms, but wild almost spontaneous funk too, and the absolute essence of the woody grapevine is front and center, and thats what i was hoping for. layers of nuts and bready malts, some sweetness but not heavy for its strength, really complex, like so many other scratch beers, this is fully one of a kind, absolutely wonderful even if it might be a bit past its prime, massively interesting and delicious. not to be missed for fans of curious earthy botanical fermentation forward beers, wow!

 

Cellared for 2.5 years. Super dark brown body, full tan head. Aromas of wet earth, black pepper, pungent red wine, herbal leaves and funky grape must. Taste is rough, the pungent wine remains, oak is dark and overpowers by wet clay, herbal leaves and grape must. Funk is forced to the back with general bland dirt with a hint of medicine. It's complex but it tastes not pleasant. The sour twinge amongst the thick must and oak backed malt for the feel doesn't do this any favors. Scratch are those mad scientists, but as such sometimes experiments go awry

 

 

 

 

Toasty and malt forward, soured in red wine puncheons. It has a resulting vinous and light woody character. Rich and layered, it’s full bodied and the grapey finish lingers long on the palate. As it warms, there are some mild black pepper phenolics and earthy flavors. Aroma is muted with some mild wood and fruit esters from the yeast. Color is a very dark mahogany with reddish auburn traces at the edges. Finely textured tan foam, meringue texture as the head wobbles above the rim. The surface skim remains unbroken. A strong ale certainly tailor-made for cellaring, as the label suggests.