Systema Natvræ - Maple and Spruce
D9 Brewing Company

Systema Natvræ - Maple and SpruceSystema Natvræ - Maple and Spruce
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From:
D9 Brewing Company
 
North Carolina, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
ABV:
5%
Score:
89
Avg:
4.03 | pDev: 10.17%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 15, 2018
Added:
Feb 09, 2018
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Davit:
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Rated by Davit from California

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Mar 11, 2018
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by jkermitj from Mississippi

Nov 15, 2018
Photo of Lingenbrau
Reviewed by Lingenbrau from Oregon

4.31/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Another big thank you out to Joe for this one!

I couldn't imagine a more perfect day to have this. It's been a cold and drizzly last couple of days, and this morning had a wonderful crisp bite in the air. The trees are changing along with the weather, but today the sun broke out for one last hurrah. The vibrance of colors being sunlit demanded a perfect patio beverage. This was it....

The blazing orange liquid is like the season itself. The turning maple tree of color boasts great clarity, but it is clouded by swarms of bubbles rising to the top. The initial pour revealed an off white head that disappeared within seconds, but these ambitious bubbles rose to the occasion to conjure up another foamy burm, with an endless swirl in the middle.

There is no question that there is an abundance of maple syrup influence. The sweet sap is complimented by a lovely acidity, green apples, and a drop of cherry juice. I had to convince myself there was spruce at first, but time puts the questioning to rest. It's subtle and perfectly appropriate.

This ale captures maple syrup perfectly. It's unmistakable and anything but obnoxious. I imagine the tartest caramel candied apple one can have, but with the silkiness of the trees liquid gold rather than the cloying sweetness of actual caramel. Again, there is a lack of spruce influence, but there is an earthy factor hanging from the coat tails of a biscuit and light grain carriage. As it warms, fall spices seem to join making this a truly wonderful seasonal welcoming.

Before taste even comes through, a sharp acidic bite squeezes the tip of the tongue. And even though this is a very tart drink, the underlying balance is superb. The initial sweetness of bread and syrup, the reappearance of tart apples in the middle, and a spiced acidity in the end give this lots of depth.

This may be one of the most enjoyable beers I've had this year. It's delicious and well conceived. To be perfectly honest, I'd love to see the spruce be more influential, but it isn't necessary. It's great just how it is.

Cheers, and thanks again Joe!
Oct 11, 2018
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.21/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
really cool sour here brewed with maple and spruce! a neat combination, way more maple than spruce to me in the mix, but this has been in the cellar a few months now and maybe have done a little further development. its bright orange to rust color from the attractive little bottle, holding a short white head and getting a little denser with sediment towards the bottom. the nose is brown sugar and maple, long boiled and sweet to me, definitely maple, like maple candy, with a little pine but obscured there some by the heavy sourness in here, more bacterial and lactic to me than it is wild, although there is more and more funk to it as it warms up, the maple is nice with the hearty malt base, its such a cool use of the syrup, im not sure i have known it like this in such an acidic beer, but it works to soften parts of that and also to extend the grain, gorgeous and natural to me. my homie liked this one more than me overall though, i thought it was a bit too sour for any real drinkability, and that its harsher than it needs to be, i feel it on my teeth. i also would like a little more spruce in it, its there, sort of more fragrant than flavorful, also natural, but down in the mix a bit. great carbonation, lots of body, no lingering sugar from the maple syrup at all. delicious complexion of flavors in a pretty well refined beer overall, they did a good job with this. i need to find more from this series, they look so interesting!
Jul 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4.09 by dbrauneis from North Carolina

May 12, 2018
Photo of joe1510
Reviewed by joe1510 from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12oz Bottle

Another brew courtesy of Wilson. Thanks, hombre! A wild ale brewed with maple and spruce tips. The body is about as pretty as they come. A russet red glow segues into burnt orange halfway through, it looks like Autumn. There's a little chill haze running throughout but the clarity is there. A fizzy, dirty white foam grows to a finger on the pour and fizzles down to a ring after a few minutes.

Holy shit! This beer has the most maple forward nose I have ever encountered. It has the intensity of those maple candies without the overpowering sweetness. It's basically pure maple. The base has a sturdy drizzle of caramel with softly toasted graininess. Deep pulls bring a sweet & sour play with some fruit based tartness, green apples and such. The spruce tips even bring a touch of juniper, which in this form comes off as rather fruity. This beer is wild. Each whiff is new.

Damn, man, this stuff is well put together. It's fruity tart off the bat with a bright acidity that lingers. The maple appears in the middle with perfect integration, instead of dominance. There's a soft toasted graininess that brings Autumn coziness when combined with the maple. The spruce, I don't get much. Again, there's a healthy drizzle of caramel but it adds a minimal amount of sweetness and brings along that sweet & sour play that works so well.

Drinkability is off the charts but this beer is so complex and chameleon-like that it deserves to be sipped and thought about a bit. It's fizzy with an acidity that grabs you by the tongue. The finish is dry enough that you can feel it on your teeth. Damn.

D9 makes some really fun, interesting beer. This is no exception. The maple is pure. The acidity is gripping but backed by a touch of sweetness for balance and approachability. Most importantly, this beer is just flat out fun to drink. Keep up the good work down there, fellas. Thanks, Wil!
May 11, 2018
 
Rated: 3 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Apr 23, 2018
 
Rated: 4.02 by epyon396 from Pennsylvania

Apr 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4.6 by lebriarjr from North Carolina

Feb 13, 2018
 
Rated: 3.87 by DrMindbender from South Carolina

Feb 09, 2018
Systema Natvræ - Maple and Spruce from D9 Brewing Company
Beer rating: 89 out of 100 with 10 ratings