Wunderkammer
Off Color Brewing

Two items before I review.
First, I'm guessing I bought from the last case in captivity. Five of the last six BA ratings are from 5 years ago. But there have been fifteen ratings on UnTappd in this month; so maybe there are two cases left of this dear ale... only available @ Mousetrap. OCB seems to have been releasing and improving on Wunderkammer over the years. So maybe more magnums to come.

Second, I note a personal milestone: this is my 100th unique from OCB, despite having found them only six years ago. (Only New Glarus approaches that at 64. Anchor at half of that and all others are under 29 uniques... and those numbers are from a lifetime of work.) So, OCB remains my favorite probably since I found them six years ago.

And I do like Wunderkammer. But being a malt-head and a tentative tart, I also don't drink the Oud Bruin style much (5 in the last 4 years... and two of them from OCB.)

Wunderkammer clearly is a multi-layered and highly curated ale. I like Wunderkammer for its uniqueness and effort expended in perfecting its original concept.

But because its flavors are so intense and dry and tart, it is not suitable for my table. In fact, it didn't make it past the soup.
I will save the rest of this magnum for tomorrow and edit this review; but for now, I vow not to buy the last -- or next -- case.

1/31/23 On the second sitting for dinner, Wunderkammer was OK next to a Belgian Pale. But the Pale is a superior table ale. My simple meal was roasted potatoes with a medley of six sauces. Wunderhammer only did OK with the sauces with more vinegar and not well with creamy and tomato/garlic based sauces. The valley that originated the Oud is not far from the region known for its saisons. Belgium's terroir changes quick. A Votre Sante' !

 

 

delicious and unique blend here, a pricey bottle at their mousetrap spot, but you get what you pay for more often than not with these guys. this is a dark sour brew, modeled on a flanders type apparently, but spiked with tart cherry juice and blended with a dark honey beer as well, an incredibly complex mix of smells and flavors here, and this is not something i have heard of stylistically before. its deep in color, between brown and crimson, with a really airy wispy head on top, rising high and lasting. the aroma is tangy dry concentrated cherry juice, the kind you have to blend with water to be able to drink, its intense to me, not the fruit but its more powerful form, a little gritty and acidic. there is quite a bit of sourness here too, it makes my mouth water, and i get a belgian abbey type malt, a chocolate malt note, and notes of red wine vinegar, port, and oaky funk, with some slight whiskey character too, vanilla and maple. its very acidic, too much so to drink a lot of this, and even splitting the bottle felt like a lot of beer to me, but the flavors are awesome, dark cherry all the way through it, sour there too, and nice malt complexity. i dont taste the honey but there is a balancing sweetness here and a floral aspect with the wood and some mature wild bretty funk. really cool beer, its so flavorful i am surprised to see it listed at such low ABV. overall an excellent bottle of really unique and weird beer, one to share, at least for me, but recommended!

 

 

The chestnut foam is long lived and crackles as it settles from two inches to one half inch. Modest lacing graces the Radeberger flute glass. The beer itself is murky and very dark brown with mahogany highlights.

The aroma opens with spicy bourbon. Specifically allspice and capers, followed by oak. Cherries are like a soft bell ringing in the distance. Layers of complexity build with honey-glazed ham fresh out of the oven. Interestingly, the aromas work harmoniously.

The flavor is funky with a sharp tartness. One can distinguish under-ripe red plums and oak. Warmth exaggerates the acidity and develops the cherries. A quick, bold, fruity finish puckers and waters the mouth with fresh lime. I wish I had a bottle to age this sweet, tart and faintly bitter beer.

The alcohol is surprisingly present against a medium to full body beer. Explosive carbonation amplifies the nylon texture.

This is a very complex beer that continues to reveal new layers throughout its duration. This brewer regularly impresses me. Wunderkammer would be exquisite with rich, soft, creamy brie.

Pours reddish brown color. Seems pretty clear although opaque unless held to the light. Very thick frothy off-white head dissipates slowly. Anything less than the utmost gentle pour results in a huge head. Smell has notes of funk, vinegar, cherries, cinnamon, and tartness. Taste is super interesting - its initially lots of cherry and vinegar, funk and grain, but then you get a cinnamon and spice finish. Its like a thanksgiving meal - cherries, cranberries and cinnamon. Feel is very thick, coats the mouth, dry on the finish. Overall a really unique beer - not really, strictly speaking, a Flanders Out Bruin, but its quite good.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours out a super super dark brown with an off-white head.

Aroma is so cherry forward! Lots of vanilla, some milk chocolate, oak, sweet malt notes, some light funk too.

The taste starts off with bright. acidic cherries, goes into milk chocolate and vanilla notes from the barrel and has some sweeter malty notes too. There's some funky, musty, earthy notes as well and it finishes with a decent tartness. Cherry pie comes to mind as well.

Medium bodied, crisp, very carbonated and finishes bone dry.

A really great and complex beer from Off Color!! Definitely pick it up if you can!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark ruby to brown in color with aggressive, plentiful off-white head with a rose hue. The head recedes quickly and leaves no lacing. Delightful aroma, with cherry, honey, and tartness. Hints of earthiness and molasses. The taste is phenomenal and complex. Rich malt, honey, molasses, slight sweetness, somewhat tart, cherry, earthy, and a distant hint of barrel. Body is medium-light with moderate-high carbonation. Extremely dry on the finish. This is really a superb beer.

 

 

Year old oak-aged ale blended with fresh Scurry and refermented with cherry juice.
Old blended with new, Oud Bruin the traditional way.

Dark tawny brown, creamy tan foam that has great lasting power. Drippy lacing around the edges.

Aroma is oaky and barrel-forward, wet wood and minerals, cherry skins. As it warms an earthy spice note comes out, cinnamony black cherry. Not so much fruity and funky, more woody and complex.

Taste is tart verging on sour, with a bright puckering cherry juice note, and lasting woody tannic notes.
Savory undercurrent of tannic cherry skins, light cinnamon note. The oak adds some nice complexity.
Really refreshing and drinkable on a 90º day like today. Great stuff.

A beautiful ruby with brown on the outer edges. Despite a small amount of head at first pour, the beer is keeping its carbonation well after 15 minutes of being out.

Smell: Hint of wood, earthy, plum, raisin, bread, slight hint of chocolate, cherry, acid, apricot, slight funk

Taste: More prevalent barrel flavor (woody), cracker/pretzel in the back, a flanders with finesse, caramel, cherry, toasted almond, super slight medicinal quality (does not detract). This is such a well-blended beer. The chocolate comes and goes, almost a hazelnut. Anise/black licorice, vinous, tart (cherry, I'm assuming, not yeast tart), slight funk

Mouthfeel: Creamy, silky, refreshing.

Overall: This might be my favorite Off Color beer ever. Scurry is a go to for me and I had its barrel aged variant a couple years back. The blend they made of those beers, a wild, and cherry juice is expertly put in unison.