Hearts of Oak - Apricot Gose
Woodland Empire Ale Craft

the hearts of oak series is all about barrel aged beers, and this is the first i have had from it, a nice funky blended wood aged gose, these guys are definitely making some of the most ambitious beers locally, even before the barrel program, i am thankful to have them around! this is not super lively from the tap, a light orange color with some haze to it, like rusty water with a little bit of carbonation. the fruit is strong in the nose, a fresh and juicy ripe apricot vibe here for sure, piquant with a bit more bacterial acidity than funk, although both are present here. some lemon, lots of white wine and oak, soft white pepper spice, a light belgian ester, and some obvious wheat character in the grain base. this is quite sour when i drink it, higher acidity than i usually like in a gose, like this element ran a little in the barrels, but there is lots of wood here to round it out and cut some of the intensity, and the juicy apricot does the same, really fresh and natural here. again a strong white wine component to it, tart and woody, with peach, pear, and green apple notes alongside the apricot. i dont really get any salt to this, so it doesnt really drink like a traditional gose to me, but the apricot keeps it from being one dimensional. not quite as well refined as i was hoping for, but a quality fruited sour with a distinct wood character to it. also a little young to me, even with the barrel ageing. looking forward to drinking more of these hearts of oak beers!