Bishop's Barrel 19
Saint Arnold Brewing Company

12 oz. bottle. Murky amber. Smells of Brett, sweet pale malt, white wine, some weird funkiness. Tastes of wine, sweet malt, booze, oak. Bright fruitiness, like grape or something. Oaky finish. Heavy and kinda sweet. Kinda out there and not what I expected.

 

 

 

More big thanks to Premo88 for another Texas treat!

Cloudy with fine yeast, but lets much light through so that its reddish brown color gives the tulip glass the look of a semi precious gem. Scant off white head at first that quickly retreats to a bare cap.

Its med. strength aroma reminds of a red flanders, but less sharp, combined with some very tasty vinous. and some lighter overipe fruit notes. The advertised cherry in this is MIA.

Wow, a blast of flavor that is different than anticipated. Cherry is strongly present immediately, joined by strong tart notes, very vinous notes. It is bright and tart fresh cherry meets overripe grape funk. As palate acclimates lighter spicy notes appear in the mix, and the sip ends with earthy funk evolving, and light spice drying out the brighter tart notes, and subduing the sweet of this.

Def. lighter bodied than a traditional old ale, med. carbonation, highly attenuated yet quite viscous, bright flavors without unpleasant buildup, and a finish of hefty strength that gives the palate a clean lingering charge of flavor.

A unique beer of astounding and strong flavors. Highly recommended for those who like bold and bright beers.

 

 

12 oz. bottle poured into snifter
(10/26/17 bottled date; brewery website says beer was brewed 10/6/15, racked 12/16/15)

L: gold-copper, clear pouring out of bottle but slightly hazy in glass, lots of amber in it; loads of sediment on bottom of bottle; pushes up small but thick head of beige/tan foam, and there's so much carbonated activity that it keeps a full 1/4-inch skin; minimal sticking and lacing ... mainly a cool bit of lacing off each swallow

S: lemon, tart cherries, barnyard funk ... the old wet grain sacks kind of funk; as it warms sweetens considerably, becomes like a tart/sweet cherry cheesecake

T: lemon peel, cherries, semi-dry white wine

F: bubbly, light, crisp ... it's lovely all around, easy to handle and mouth-filling from the carbonation

O: fantastic brew ... the end result is both interesting and tasty; the addition of brettanomyces makes it impossible to distinguish any old ale notes save for some malt sweetness, so the base beer's quality will remain a mystery, but what the brett is doing along with the chardonnay barrels and cherries undoubtedly makes for a quality beer; a super cool change-up in a series known much more for the dark malt/bourbon barrel concoctions

 

 

Poured from a bottle into a tulip glass. Clear brown body with brief head and decently lacing. Nice cherry, red wine smell. This carries into the taste which has sour note. This reminds me of something from Jester King!

Pours a cloudy copper color with a thin foamy head. Head retention is virtually non-existent. Lacing is good. Funky, tart aroma of Brett and cherries. Has a tart cherry taste with some Brettanomyces. It is a little peppery at the end with a dry aftertaste, most likely from the Chardonnay, and pepper. There may be some dark fruitiness in there as well. Lighter bodied with moderate to heavy carbonation.

 

BOTTLE: 12 fl oz format. Brown glass. Red pry-off crown cap. Classy understated label art. Bottled 10/26/17.

"Old ale aged in Chardonnay Barrels with Cherries and Brettanomyces."

Served chilled and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption.

APPEARANCE: Ample yeasty dregs float freely in the dull orange body. A somewha thin head off-white in colour rests atop, fading fast even for its high-ish ABV...this has ~3 minute head retention at best. Leaves inconsistent spots of lacing on the sides of my glass as it recedes.

Appears aptly carbonated. Not a great looking old ale, but I suppose its obvious yeastiness makes it look alive.

AROMA: Leather, brettanomyces funk and concomitant earthiness, warm/slightly boozy fruit (dates, dried apricots, golden raisin, stonefruit), Belgian pale malt, malty sweetness, syrupy treacle, candied orange peel, citrusy esters, and scintillae of tangerine and mango peel. Not as bold on the malts as I anticipated (and as is conventional of good beers in this this style), but generally appealing. White wine barrel aging is certainly noticeable, but I doubt I'd peg it as chardonnay specifically if I tried this blind. Hints of oak, pear, peach, and wine-derived apricot are imparted by the wine.

Suggests a funky brew with some nice wine notes but no clear focus...and no evident cherry notes. Atypical of an old ale, lacking the body and malt focus one would look for. If you told me this was a brettanomyces fermented wine barrel Belgian strong pale ale in a blind tasting I'd buy it.

Aromatic intensity is moderately high. No off-flavours are indicated. It doesn't seem boozy.

TASTE & TEXTURE: I like its softness, which when coupled with its mellow smooth wet texture makes it almost refreshing. Definitely approachable mouthfeel-wise, though it's a biteen overcarbonated. Not oily, gushed, astringent, or otherwise faulty even if there's some evident alcohol warmth (which shouldn't be present at a scant 7.60% ABV). Thick but true to style. Medium to full-bodied.

The flavour profile isn't right for an old ale, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Orange marmalade, faded apricot, ample fruity ale yeast esters, Belgian pale malts, candied orange peel, hints of biscuity saccharomyces. Traces of pear and golden raisin are imparted by the vague white wine barrel character...which isn't noticeably chardonnay (more time in barrels and/or better selection of chardonnay barrels would help).

Brettanomyces is barely there actually, and I don't get any cherry really. Not overtly funky in spite of what the aroma suggested...just slightly so, further scattering the beer's focus and adding complications instead of complexity.

Warm fruit is the main emphasis in this; the beer eschews old ale's big bold malts in favour of a more alcohol-soaked fruity citrusy vibe. It really doesn't fall neatly into any given style, and that's not a compliment. Wine barrel aging, brettanomyces utilization, and fruiting with cherry are all well and good in their own rights, but when the resultant beer doesn't feel like a cohesive gestalt whole you've got problems. Not imbalanced so much as unbalanced. I'm not really seeing what they were going for here, but I have a hunch whatever it was they failed.

OVERALL: Very vaguely defined indistinct fare. A beer that smashes a cacophony of flavours together with no clear aim and no adherence to style convention. I've long scratched my head at the widespread acclaim for the Bishop's Barrel series, and this isn't changing that...what was the intent here? The premise is out there and the execution is off the mark. That said, it's drinkable and enjoyable in spite of its flaws, and price aside I'm glad I got to try it. But put this next to North Coast Old Stock Ale even at half the price and I'll still buy North Coast. I'd only really bother with this again at $9.99 a sixer.

Some North American drinkers may parse the orange marmalade note as a Delsym-esque medicinal flavour. Beware.

C+ (3.06) / ABOVE AVERAGE