Wise Guise
The Rare Barrel

Wise GuiseWise Guise
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From:
The Rare Barrel
 
California, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
5.6%
Score:
94
Avg:
4.23 | pDev: 6.38%
Reviews:
31
Ratings:
246
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sep 22, 2020
Added:
Jan 03, 2014
Wants:
  46
Gots:
  51
Red sour beer aged in oak barrels with raspberry.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Beer4B:
Photo of Beer4B
Reviewed by Beer4B from Florida

4.43/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a lovely reddish hue. Smell has some faint raspberries and tartness. The taste is really great, tons of sour raspberries. Plenty of sour but not overpowering with lost of fruit.
Jul 22, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Parmesan
Reviewed by Parmesan from Colorado

4.24/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
L:. Pours a murky Amber red with a slightly tan head and no lacing on the glass.

S:. Notes of raspberry and caramel, sweet malt and some slight tartness.

T:. Tart and raspberry with notes of caramel and sweet malt, very pleasant

F:. Smooth carb, medium body.

O:. The raspberry and caramel blend with the tartness to make a very nice beer
Sep 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4.25 by ilikebeer03 from Texas

Sep 03, 2020
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.89/5  rDev -8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Scored a 2016 bottle back in early 2017.

Pours a dark reddish amber color, I think I was expecting the color to have more in common with that of a raspberry. Plenty of carbonation results in a 4/7" head, off white. The aroma was the usual clean lemon sour of Rare Barrel meets some raspberries. The earthiness of the base red ale is largely absent.

Taste is familiar to Rare Barrel consumers, it has a clean, no funk golden sour component that is about half of their beers, then with some added characteristics of a red, heavier malt bill for one. Good raspberry taste, not too much nor too little fruit character. Real good mouth feel because of the dry finish like it was a lighter beer/SRM. Plenty of carbonation to spare on this one. The caramel and toffee barley malt notes are largely lost of the pre eminence of the lemon sour power going on. It was good enough on tap that I took the plunge on a $20 bottle. Almost never do that now, too many $1 beers from Sierra Nevada, Founders etc. . . to bother spending 20x as much.
Jun 30, 2020
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured into a Duvel tulip to a deep reddish brown which is topped by a finger of dense and rocky off white head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of juicy and sour raspberries with a nice amount of funk along with a little oak.
T: Taste is juicy raspberries and sourness up front followed by a little bit of funk along with some nice underlying oak. There's a little barnyard and must but a lot of juicy raspberry. On the swallow the raspberries are the star of the show with some nice lingering sourness. The oak and funk come in at the very end as well.
M: This beer has a body which is on the lighter side of things but it is not watery. Carbonation is effervescent and just slightly prickly while the beer has a drying finish which is expected of the style.
O: Overall this is a really awesome beer. The flavors are great and it's everything that I look for in a fruited sour. This one is definitely worth trying if you can get it.
Apr 22, 2020
 
Rated: 4.21 by impending from California

Feb 17, 2020
 
Rated: 4.27 by khargro2 from Tennessee

Jan 19, 2020
 
Rated: 4.54 by BubbleBobble from New York

Nov 11, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by Zazzi82 from Tennessee

Oct 16, 2019
 
Rated: 4 by jschott75 from Illinois

Aug 04, 2019
Photo of REVZEB
Reviewed by REVZEB from Illinois

4.26/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured semi-clear burgundy with plenty of carbonation bubbles and a beige head, very eye catching despite the darker appearance. Aromas of tart ripe raspberry, oak tannins, and wild yeast, this is full but not powerful, somewhat rustic and dry. Taste sees the ripe raspberry and oak tannins lead, with the combo giving a dry red wine like complexion, some earthiness and dried cherry, with a slight touch of sour oak on the finish, with wild yeast through out. Easy to drink, but because of the depth you want to sip. Yeasty, smooth and some dry and sour, this is an elevated sour perfect for a special dinner
Jul 27, 2019
 
Rated: 4.34 by cd34 from Illinois

Jun 18, 2019
Photo of JamFuel
Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a murky, dark reddish brown with some fluffy head.

Smell is tart and musty with notes of oak, raspberries, vanilla and lemon.

The taste is where it's at with this beer. Tart and perfectly acidic, with big notes of raspberries, charred oak, vanilla and lemon peel. Very complex with subtle notes of grapes and elderflower.

Mouthfeel is medium, dry and brightly carbonated.

Overall, a great tasting sour that's not really a looker...
Jun 15, 2019
 
Rated: 4.45 by KensWorld from Florida

May 11, 2019
Photo of Dr_C
Reviewed by Dr_C from Colorado

4.46/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Found this one on Tavour.

First off I this was a handsome looking brew. Poured into my Sempli plint glass, this beer had a gorgeous burnt caramel colored with a just slightly off white head 3 fingers tall that faded over a few minutes. No lacing on the glass but otherwise perfect looking.

Aroma was raspberry forward with a hint of maltiness. Smelled similar to Lindemans Framboise.

Taste was sour, dry and with ample raspberry with a hint of oak. Less sweet than a lambic. Crisp and light on the tongue.

Overall. An amazing brew if you like sour, raspberry or lambic in general, you should get this brew. I WILL look for this again.
May 05, 2019
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

3.76/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
On-tap at Capital Hop Shop, Sacramento, CA

A: The beer is very dark brown in color. It poured with a half finger high frothy white head.
S: Faint aromas of raspberries are present in the nose.
T: The taste has light to moderate flavors of raspberries along with a light amount of dourness and hints of oak.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is nice and easy to drink as it isn't too sour or heavy on the palate.

Serving type: on-tap
May 05, 2019
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2019-05-03
750ml bottle served in a little Cantillon glass. If there's a date, I don't see it (other than the 18 on the bottle).

Pours a mostly clear brownish color, slight ruby tint, with a medium sized head and a lot of carbonation. Smell is rich and tart and fruity -- I'd say cherry, except the label says raspberry.

Taste is tart, creamy, moderate bitterness, and clear berry finish. Yes, that's an unusual combination. Yes, it's quite tasty.

Mouthfeel is rich and smooth. Overall, very good beer.
May 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.21 by bschmidt_37 from Illinois

Apr 28, 2019
Photo of CHickman
Reviewed by CHickman from New York

3.71/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Had Wise Guise 2018 on tap at Haymaker, NYC, it pours purple/pink color with a small pink head that faded slowly and left no lacing. I didn't expect much from the looks and it met my expectations. The smell was fruity with a malty backbone, tart green apple and raspberry, then some sour notes like a white wine or old red wine. Taste was way too tart and sour, to the point of being puckering. I liked the fruity notes and malty/bready aspects, but it was far from smooth and came off too much like a rotted fruit drink or sour apple juice. The oaky notes were present, but it didn't help with the drinkability.
Apr 26, 2019
 
Rated: 3.57 by sweetbrew82 from California

Apr 19, 2019
Wise Guise from The Rare Barrel
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 246 ratings