Bretter Off Red
Refuge Brewery

This is supposed to be a version of the Rampart Red with three types of Brett and nine months of aging in Merlot barrels. This has that ideal brettanomyces flavor-- clean and deeply aromatic with no hint of sourness.

I'm not sure there's much left of the Red Ale style, but the color is a deep copper, like cherry mixed with amber. Spritzy on the tongue with a few bubbles in the St. Bernardus globe. The aroma is just swoony with something like rising yeast plus fermenting cider.

Surprisingly there is a little sweetness and some malt taste that balances the dry and mineral yeast taste. Some fruity hints of pineapple and plums. Bitter finish that grows as you sip. What an interesting beer with the Belgian influence, yet outside the usual. From the 32 oz growler filled at the brewery tasting room in Temecula.