The Oracle
Forked River Brewing Company

Appearance: Poured with next to no head that doesn't lace obvious and the body seems to only offer the thinnest of carbonation. Body is a slightly hazy gold, but there's just not a lot to say here.

Smell: Lemon is the dominant note on the nose, but I am catching wine, bread malt and a slight hint of dry leather. Warming seems to bring out the Wine a lot more, but it doesn't need too much to get going. The potency is there. Honestly, a bit more complexity and nuance and a bit less sour dominance and I think this would be perfect.

Taste: Starts with pale malt with a strong apple and lemon note that, to be honest seems a bit overdone, before it turns to more of a white wine kind of taste that finishes off with another lemon hit that is predominantly restrained by a dry yeast note (I believe Bret is the term, that leather like dryness) that offers a bit of berry as well as a somewhat by a slight grass hop note. There's a lot going on with this beer, but to be honest it feels like all the nuance has been drowned out by the wine and sourness.

Mouthfeel: Well the low carbonation may or may not be a boon here. On one hand, it's not accentuating the aggressive sour notes, on the other hand, I think some suds might actually help mitigate some of that high potency. The transitioning, I'm not a fan of. It goes from subtle to pow, to wine, back to a reigned in pow before a dry yeast nod finishes things.

Drinkability: I'll say this, there is no one you can detect that this is 9.2%, and it certainly doesn't cling on the palate. The issue I'm having here is this seems like a beer in an identity crisis. It's got that hot summer's day sour, crusher kind of vibe, mixed in with the slow, nuance filled, fancy sipper of a Tripel. Medium bodied and settles down because of the low carbonation, but I neither want to crush it or savor it.

Final Thoughts: I actually resolved to stop buying Wine aged beers, but this one was purchased before that resolution. Suffice it to say, this one hasn't made me second guess that choice. I will say this is the first time the Wine didn't take over the entire beer. Instead, it only took out the middle portion of the beer which is honestly the lowlight of the show here. This strikes me as a beer that had same vibe as if a celebrity visited your wedding and took it over. Sure it's still a celebration, but your day became the celebrity visit. This beer has left me wanting to try Trinity Tripel, which apparently is the base for this beer. The parts I don't seem to care for, the sour note and the wine killed the enjoyable nuance here. It's still a good offering don't get me wrong, but this is a beer where knowing when to stop I think would have worked out better for it.

 

500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery; served slightly chilled. This season's batch is listed at a sturdy 9.3%.

Pours a cloudy, pale golden-yellow hue, equipped with a one inch crown of soapy, sparkling white head. It lasts for the better part of five minutes, wilting into a messy, frothy collar and bubbly layer on the surface. Modest lacing; looks good to me. Lots of lovely vinous notes on the nose; Chardonnay interacts nicely with notes of lemon, nectarine, green apple and subdued Brett funk. Accents of oak are also detectable, along with some floral, grassy notes.

Very nice. Flavours of grainy pale malt provide a neutral backdrop, upon which an array of fruity flavours are free to strut their stuff. Apple, lemon, orange and peach all come to mind, but above all else, it is vinous, white grape flavour that persists into the finish. Notes of oak really shine through on the back end, joined by grassy hops and some yeasty clove spiciness. Mild tartness in the aftertaste with light tannic astringency with a touch of alcohol. This is a truly dangerous beer, because the alcohol content is extremely well-integrated - I literally didn't even notice it on the first sip, but as the glass warms this soured tripel's potency starts to become a little more obvious. Medium-bodied, with aggressive carbonation levels that prickle the palate relentlessly. Delightful to drink.

Final Grade: 4.34, a fabulous A grade. I've been itching to try Forked River's Oracle for about a year now, and I'm pleased to say that it did not disappoint in the least. It's rather reminiscent of their (also excellent) Hansel & Brett'el - this soured tripel shares a lot of the same vinous, Chard barrel and orchard fruit notes as its lighter cousin, while remaining distinct thanks to its spicier, more malt-forward profile and potent abv. Quite well-balanced; this is not an extreme example of a wild ale, as the funky/tart aspects tend to complement rather than overpower. One of this brewery's top 3 products IMO; I'm sure I'll be back for more.

 

 

 

This was in Masterski's killer canbif box. Cheers!

Appearance. Pours a fairly clear, bright yellow-gold with just over a finger of frothy white head that fades to a skim.

Smell. Sweet hay and funky old barrel, peaches, plums, and apples ...and sweettarts or whatever the hell that candy is called. Haven't smelled it since I was a kid but I'm getting those powedery fuckers in here. Really nice and fruity nose anyways, pretty awesome stuff.

Taste. Tart stone fruits, pineapple, and apples, some nice woody brett funk, some spicy belgian yeast, and some light grassy bitterness in the dry finish. Really nice stuff.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, lively medium-strong carbonation.

Overall. A really fantastic wild. Tart but not very acetic, very fruity especially the nose. Love these ones out of left field that hit all the right notes. Thanks again, Masterski. Great choice.

Picked this up at Forked River. Served in a wine glass.

A - Pours with a finger of off-white foam that quickly fizzles to a very thin collar and a few wisps. Hazed peach juice body.

S - Tropical and slightly dirty brett, vinous oak, some stone frui t malts. Mild funk and lactic acidity. More wild than Tripel based on the aroma. A touch more horse and basement as it warms.

T - The taste has maintained more of the base beer's characteristics, with more peppery Belgian yeast and stone fruit malt showing up and less brettanomyces. There's still a funky and slightly medicinal bite to it, with vinous oak showing up in the finish.

M - Surprisingly zesty carbonation. Medium-full body that's appropriate for the ABV, but no perceptible alcohol presence. Tannic and dry finish, with minimal lingering stickiness.

D - This was crushable. Tripel is a style I tend to dislike, but the wild and vinous elements balance the sweetness and make this a winner. I'm really digging Forked River's wild offerings - hopefully they'll keep exploring in this direction and take the time to make things a bit more sour.