Baril Du Pluie
Bad Weather Brewing Company

 

 

i like these guys, but i definitely question whether this is genius or terrible, and while i like it well enough, i also dont like it all that well, if that makes sense. its a tripel for sure, no doubt about the base beer, sweet and blonde, but i am not sure i get much cranberry. in theory, its smart, acidic and tangy fruit with a thick and sweet base beer, on paper it rules, but they didnt get enough of that aspect out of it to make it work like that, and it ends up being double sweet and somewhat vacuous in terms of fruit and grain interaction. the oak aspect is somewhat understated in the flavor too, which makes me sort of question this beer overall, but the packaging is pretty, and is waxed, so that has to count for something right? i feel like more raw fruit would help this, ferment it out more too, who cares how strong it is, boozy always trumps sweet in this type of brew, so let it ride i think. good not great, i like how rich it is, how substantial, and how different, but it only does an okay job being what it says its going to be. more cranberry is imperative in the next release...

Loved It! Pours clear with a slight pinkish tint. A head of about 1 finger which dissipates very quickly. Cranberry is in the background, but not too much to where you think you are drinking a fruit beer. Very smooth with just enough carbonation. Definitely a favorite.

i used to drink the cranberry lambic. never the old fezziwig, and sometimes the scotch ale, but i was ok with the cranberry lambic.

maybe that's kind of what i had in mind for this one, and perhaps that colored my palate. either way, i'm missing the cranberry to the extent that i wanted to see it shine, or maybe i'm getting more of the fresh berry and less of the dried one.

hazy beer, a bit of lazing, and no real head.

i'd agree totally on the vanilla in the nose and taste as noted below. alcohol is noticeable in the nose and warms the mouth. the cranberry is more of a raw berry/ unfiltered juice taste rather than a sweetened craisin or tartness.

i would have appreciated a bit of pucker with this one, but no. sweet and a bit spicy, with no bitterness.

other than the vanilla, i did lose the oak notes.

it's way more subtle than i would have expected from the description. my bigger question is why this one was released in late spring/ early summer - this would be fantastic in november but no so much on a 90º day in june.

 

 

L: Pours hazy amber with a slight pink tint from a 750 ml bottle into a tulip glass producing a ½ cream colored foam cap that quickly dissipates.
S: Vanilla, berry and faint toast aromas rise from the glass.
T: The cranberry is much bigger on the palate than on the nose. It is joined by biscuit and light vanilla. The cranberry tartness works very well with the creamy texture. Evokes a cranberry muffin.
F: The brewer has nailed the Belgian texture. The beer is very creamy with a medium to medium light body and medium high carbonation.
O: An interesting well crafted beer.