Anachronism
Transient Artisan Ales

Inconsistent head production: with two glasses and near identical pours, one had an immediately fading fizzy head, while the other had a solid 1/2 finger of white foam with pretty decent retention. In both cases, once the head retreated, it left nothing but an oily sheen atop the body and no lacing - not atypical for a sour. Body is a coppery orange-tinged gold, nearly transparent in thinner portions of the glass, but hazily translucent in thicker portions.

Wonderfully complex nose: musty, funky, oaky, and sour(y). Earth, oak, tannins, cheese, citrus, mushrooms, honey, straw, peach. This is a very rewarding wild ale, on par with some of the more impressive funky saisons a la Fantome, vintage sours of Rodenbach, and gueuzes of Tilquin.

Immediately sharp and tart up front, fruit-like but much stronger, followed by a significant vinegar-like sourness, enveloped throughout by vanilla and tannins from the oak. Earthy funk right off the bat, but it quickly is lost in the coming wave of sourness. Mild honey-like sweetness, along with pale caramel grains, follow and accent the sourness, resulting in a sweet-and-sour interplay.

Though each sip is a complex interplay of funk, sourness, and slight sweetness, each sip is also fairly short, washing over you with potency but quickly fading, leaving behind hints of straw and your taste receptors' recovery from the sourness. Low bitterness; only semi-dry.

Fairly decent pucker; otherwise a smooth, light and lively beer on the palate. Slow sipper only due to the strong sourness and the desire to savor the depth in each sip.

It's not a stretch to call this world class, and put it up there with the best wilds and sours coming out of the US, worthy of considering alongside Belgian classics - if not exactly surpassing them, at least playing the same game. This is a really impressive beer.

375ml corked and caged bottle - batch #1 2016 - poured into a...wine stem tulippy glass at 48°F.

Pours a beautiful foggy honey golden - a finger of coarse white head loudly building, before instantly sizzling out, leaving just a sliver of collar, fed by tiny effervescent streams.

Nose: Potently fragrant and sharp, falling somewhere between gueuze and wild ale territory. Faint pale grain beneath tons of oak, Meyer lemon, tart nectarine, white peach, abd apricot, white grape, honey, wildflowers, ripe plum, vanilla, and a touch of white wine vinegar. Plenty of musty funk, with farmy notes of hay, fresh earth, wet leaves, and old wet wood.

Palate: Much like a good gueuze, instantly, this greets the palate with a surprising grainy sweetness. Notes of lemon, lime, pomello, candied orange peel, wildflower honey, white grape, apricot, ripe peach, and a hint of melon all intermingle in a surprisingly fruity bouquet. There is plenty of mature Oak character - almost like toasted foudre, which lends a perceived sweetness, as well as a hint of coconut. The acidity is not as pronounced as the aroma - tamped by the grain, and finds a nice balance between tart sweaty brett, and sharp pedio, yet avoiding being puckering or vinegary. Delicate funk in the form of dusty brett, peach pit, leather, wet straw, and a slight goaty tang adds complexity, which remaining delicate and dainty. The finish sees a sharp decline in sweetness, leaving tart grape, and then a sharp decline in tartness, leaving lots of dry, woody oaky notes, and a touch of hay, dried grass, and apricot to linger. Minimally tannic.

Mouthfeel/Body: The mouthfeel here is perfection. Light, crisp, fluid, with some grain texture, and gently, but ultra fuzzy effervescence that perfectly mimics that of champagne. Delicately drying oaky finish, and no heartburn or acidity issues.

Overall: My goodness, was this a sleeper or what! I had zero expectations going into this, and it has blown me away. This is as good as any Gueuze I've had to-date. The level of funk may be more in-line with a typical wild ale, but there's a lot of Gueuze influence here, and I imagine it's made similarly to lambic. An absolutely spectacular, world-class effort from Transient.

It's very tasty, great sour! I very much enjoyed this

 

b2 750ml

b1 375ml 2016
4 375 4 325 375

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2016 vintage. Pours slightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with poor retention, that reduces to a minimal ring of lace pretty quickly. Minimal spotty lacing; some clinging bubbles and streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, peppercorn, oak, hay, straw, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, peppercorn, oak, hay, straw, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate lactic tart/tang/sourness, and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, peppercorn, oak, hay, straw, wheat, cracker, white bread, light leather/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with a fantastic malt/tart/sourness, and yeast/oak spiciness balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering sour/tang/tartness, yeast/oak spiciness, and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is a fantastic spontaneous sour/wild ale. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth and fairly crisp/clean/refreshing to drink with the modestly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic. Fantastically well rounded Brett/Bacteria complexity, with great oak barrel presence, and pale/wheat malts against acidity. Minimal residual sweetness from crisp acidic/tannic dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example as expected. Everything I would want to see for a wild ale. Aged wonderfully.

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect carb. Beautiful light body. Clean and crisp. Smells of limeade and flowers. Bursts of lemonade that stays in balance. Crisp tartness that doesn't cross into acidity. Spot on for the lambic method.

 

 

 

Batch 1 (2016). Nice easy drinking effervescent wild ale. Delicious!

 

Smell: wow this smacks you right in the face super Tart lemon green apple big stone fruit pear apricot peach white wine vinegar. This smells absolutely spectacular and complex.

Taste: upfront this is really sour lemon and green apple but the sourness quickly dissipates in the mid plate you get tons of stone fruit peach pear apricot along with white wine grapes in the finish you get a hint of musty oak vinegar and more of those white wine notes. The taste is so complex i keep getting something new with every sip.

Feel: medium body champagne like carbonation. It's really great the high amount of carbonation scrubs your pallet after every sip and makes you want to keep coming back for more.

Overall: This is incredible. One of the most complex sours I've ever had. Transient out did themselves with this. Easily a world class A+ beer.

A cork and cage 375ml bottle purchased at the brewery release on 5/6/17 poured in a Transient Teku style glass.

Look- Pours a slightly lively and cloudy radiant gold leaving two fingers of soapy white foam. It slowly settles to a thick ring revealing a little lacing. Tiny carbonation bubbles can be seen surfacing as well.

Smell- Musty wood, lemon zest, vinegar, wet grass and yeast.

Taste- Lemon zest, mild vinegar, musty oak, straw and a slight hint of floral esters.

Feel- Light, slick and slightly fizzy on the tongue with moderate tartness. It finishes on the dry side.

Overall- A beautiful looking beer that is a pleasure to drink. The moderately refreshing tartness and slight funk coupled with a palate pleasing feel make this beer a liquid work of art. It was so easy drinking and enjoyable that I had to remind myself to slow down and take it all in. It could have been the quickest $16 bucks I ever drank!