The Ivy Spruce Tip Cuvee
de Garde Brewing

 

 

 

 

Lighter yellow golden body. Astringent, dry, very floral. Interesting addition with the spruce tips. Quite dry which seems to take away some depth. Lighter medium in body, appropriate in carbonation. Astringent, mildly earthy finish. This was a rare miss for me, though interesting enough.

a very mature brew, two years on this one in oak barrels, special edition of ivy done with spruce tips, and boy was a stoked to drink some of this at the new spot in tillamook, an experience i was overjoyed to share with my wife. this is deep golden to light orange in the glass under a short but persistent white head. it smells less pine forward than i was looking forward to, and in fact i kind of had to seek this element out, maybe the long ageing has made that element fade some, but i got a ton of sweet fleshy stone fruit, massive amounts of wet oak, and subtle bready grain depth through it, and of course the awesome wild fermentation profile which is almost lambic-esque in the nose. peachy and vinous both in the flavor, some wooden richness to it, an herbal property perhaps from hops perhaps from the spruce, but it is again rather light on the spruce, almost more of a milled white pine board complexion than spruce needles, subtle anyway, but i appreciate it more as my palate gets used to the tang and its had a chance to warm up some. its neat but it stays way back is this turns more and more lambic-like and white winey as it sits, still some malt support, but it really does evolve in the glass. super mature, piquant, and interesting, even without a big spruce profile, and the quality is impressive as always from these guys. i have a bottle of this in the cellar now too, and i am hoping for a little more spruce in this format, will follow up!

edit: the bottle is no more spruce forward, really seemed underdeveloped to me, maybe faded with all the time on oak, i dont know, but as a wild ale its awesome, super funky, a little bit more acidic now than i recall from the tap there, but a heck of a pairing with blue cheese rolled flank steak for christmas dinner. dont expect a liquid christmas tree, but this is delicious even still.