Salal
Propolis Brewing

seeing this on tap today literally got me sprung. i love this brewery and its so sick to get to try new beers from them, look forward to all of them. made with a really cool wild berry i have not seen in any other beer and have no personal experience with at all. yeah its really sour, pretty astringent on the fruit, and quite tannic on the wine and barrel properties, but overall this hits for me. medicinal yes, a little sulfuric and acetic yes, woody without being mellow sure, but its awesome beer and deserves a lot of credit. ballsy to use this as a base beer instead of something generic and pale, the malt and depth are needed to handle the fruit. ballsy to use a fruit nobody else does despite its chemical and physical properties. ballsy to use wine barrels from a varietal that tends also toward some of these intense elements when so many other choices exist, like this is exponentially better for not being in whiskey or cabernet or rum, this is mean to be with this fruit, no denying. i like the iodine and lambic elements i get in the nose, i am stricken by the tannins and fermentation profile and their intensity, and i admire this beer a whole lot, even if the server may have been right in suggesting i didnt want a bigger glass of it. i love the barrel and fruit connection here, especially with this thoughtful and intentional base beer. this is polarizing yeah, but its at a conceptual level that few breweries ever really get to, and i freaking dig it for that...

Appearance: Pours a clear auburn color with a thin cap that fades to a ringlet and archipelago; squiggly lacing

Smell: Earthy and leathery with a vinous red wine grape tone; hints of caramel and dark dried fruit

Taste: Earthy and herbal tones forward with a touch of caramel underneath; vinous red wine tones emerge and develop in a tart direction; the finish has a leathery funk

Mouthfeel: Medium body with low carbonation

Overall: This beer was corked so I don't think the carbonation developed quite how the brewer intended; the flavors are interested but the mouthfeel doesn't support the style

Thanks, BEER88, for the opportunity