St. Dekkera Reserve: Fraise
DESTIHL Brewery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

nothing about this is really wrong or off, it cant be really when you do a wild ale, you can only control so many variables, and in the end, the beer is in the hands of the yeast itself, so how critical can we be? i just dont like this one all that much, and for the price of this (and all the beers in this series), i expect to be blown away, the price turns me off a lot more than the beer. wild ale with strawberries in oak. clearish in color, a little pink maybe, but more golden really. very little head after the initial pour too, but good clarity for a beer in this style. it smells sweet for sure, but i dont get a ton of the raspberries, maybe more of a generic red fruity element, fruit punch rather than real strawberries, some lactic sourness, and a lot of sweet oak, vanilla. the taste isnt as well layered as the nose, its too sweet, and the strawberries make it taste sort of medicinal, bandaids and whatnot, but i dont hate it by any means, it has lambic wildness to it, just not as dry and mature, and lacking the funk element to go with the sour. always a weird sensation when sourness and sweetness coexist, tough on the guts and tough on the tongue. not enough carbonation either for what it is, but there is a lot of oak to this. not a bad beer, but i think its a poor use of strawberries and i think its absurdly overpriced, which seems to be the norm with these guys...

Pours a slightly reddish hued gold with a thick three finger crown of fluffy foam.

Fresh strawberries, oak, musty funk, and noticeable lactic acidity.

Tart strawberries and lactic acidic sourness, bretty funk, oak, and slightly vinous.

Light-bodied, high carbonation, sticky, dry finish, tart.

Overall, another solid sour from a brewery that does it oh so well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle from West Lakeview Liquors. Served in a Zwanze 2013 tulip.

A - White foam settles to a collar, wisps, and minimal lacework. Lightly hazed golden body.

S - Smell is heavy on lactic acidity, strawberries, tropical brett notes, and a biscuit malt backdrop.

T - As with most Destihl sours, it is quite acidic but with a heft dose of sweet, doughy malts as well. Seems bigger than the listed 5.5% actually. Strawberry flavors show up mid-palate, yielding to a lemony finish. There's some funkiness and overripe qualities; the brett character is actually quite pleasant.

M - Medium body, with somewhat zesty carbonation that tingles the tongue. Chewy and viscous, with lingering stickiness and a tannic finish that seems evocative of strawberry.

D - A solid, well-executed American Wild, and one of the better strawberry offerings I've had. Most are either understated or have a rancid quality, and this has neither. Looking forward to seeing how this project develops, although the pricing is a bit high to buy these regularly.