Hearts of Oak - Roussanne Brett
Woodland Empire Ale Craft

the second beer ive had from this hearts of oak series, and unfortunately maybe my last, sounds like they are doing away with much of their sour beer program, a shame. in any event, this is a heck of a way to go out, a long aged golden sour from woodland blended with a funky roussanne wine from split rail, or maybe just their grape must and water, not totally sure, but its a shared effort between the brewery and the winery. this has been released under another name from the wine side too i think, all the beautiful horses, they are the same drink i believe. anyway its a pretty wine heavy blend, like to the extent that i dont taste much grain, but that could be a product of its age too. i love the clear glass, the swirling sediment you can see in there, and the fair price for something this ambitious! its whitewashed and thick looking, smells a little like brett but isnt real funked out or farmy, more of a natural wine vibe to me on the ferment actually, and even a sake vibe, creamy like that in texture, but also sort of floral and drying. i do not get a ton of acidity either, usually the woodland sours are a little more bracing, and i like the mellowness, just tart. light green banana and green grape here, white peach, clover and elderflower, and even like a starchy rice thing, almost asian in some way to me. decent oak profile, light vanilla to it, some finishing earthy spiciness. so weird but so tasty, i would love to try both elements in the blend on their own, but it seems like they have come together in a pretty special way. strange to drink, unlike anything else, but real clever. i have to grab another bottle to see what this does over time. very cool effort here, worth seeking out before its gone!