Blueberry Dance
Three Magnets Brewing

another special wild beer from these guys, man i am loving their stuff. pricey this one, but worth it if you like blueberries even a little bit. it was made for their fourth anniversary, and is a blend of aged mixed culture beers in red wine barrels on an absolute ton of blueberries. the color is deeply saturated purple blue, the fruit obviously staining it severely. it has a similarly raw and unrefined look as many of their other funky large bottles have so far, murky and sedimented, and without a ton of head or retention, but the color is sexy enough to make this visually appealing. the blueberries are super intense in nose and taste here, tannic and tangy, natural and wild, only slightly sweet, even a little gritty and drying in texture, like i can feel some sort of antioxidant magic working right away. purple grape and blackberry nuances in the mix as well, lots of oak, the sharpness of the wine coming through as well, and a bit more bacterial character than brett to me on the ferment, but not generic, weird in a good way, and definitely distinctive and mature. the fruit is very real and boldly dosed, as pungent as i have known blueberry to be in almost any beer, some hints of violet and lavender in here, white tea, lemon lime soda, and lots of tannins. the wood is strong and smoothing on this, and seems to add some body to the soupy raw grain base. i like the tartness, its not too sour and its in line with the fruit. more and more funk comes out as this warms, hints of vanilla and even white pepper too, there is a unique saison sort of ester here. its not flat, but it could stand a bit more carbonation to really make it pop. the red wine barrels and the blueberries go together super well, and overall this was a real hit. these guys are doing everything well right now!