Blackberry Duplicitous
Baere Brewing Company

 

this is batch 3 of this from what i understand, and apparently the abv and the nuances have fluctuated quite a lot from one to the next, but this is super dialed in, and if they brew it again, i wouldnt change a thing. its a wild ale aged in wine barrels with blackberries. gorgeous artwork on the bottles like all of the baere stuff, whoever whips those up is doing an awesome job! the beer is killer too, heavy red wine notes to it, lots of dried cherries and berries, and a strong wood and wine tannic presence along with the lactic sourness. its somehow not that intense, like its not sharp or striking, everything is in balance, and despite enormous complexity, it doesnt feel overdone. the blackberry is fresh and forward, sweet for a second, but absorbed into the heavy red wine complexion rather easily. some funk here, tons of wet wood, and the sourness, which has a citric element, and is about as much as i want of it. it has a berliner cleanness to it, a freshness too with the fruit, but also a wonderful maturity, complex on the yeast side, and dry in the finish with the wood closing it out. notes of cocoa in the malt, tobacco even, but its not dark or heavy on my tongue, despite only average carbonation. this is expert wild beer, a perfect fusion of fruit and barrel, and something to be celebrated. still somehow these guys arent getting the attention i think they deserve for these beers. i would like to try other editions of this one and really take in some of the differences between them, but this one is special! i sure it will age wonderfully too, as the blackberry fades into the wine. gorgeous specimen!