Nut-The Irish Jinn
Black Barrels Beer

 

 

i think i have a new favorite brewery! all three of these black barrels beers have been amazing, and unlike anything else out there at all. i wish they werent so absurdly expensive, but as is the case with a lot of the italian stuff, you get what you pay for, and i will be looking to pay this again if i can track down another bottle. scored this at mile high in belmar. i dont get the name here, whats that all about? a little less sexy on paper than the others, an amber ale in oak barrels, but the beer in the bottle is next level. it pours a stillish murky tawny color, with quite a bit of yeast sediment in it and less head and obvious effervescence than some of the other ones have had. the nose is incredible, lots of hops oddly enough, grassy but fresh, especially for something european. there is a crazy wild yeast aspect to this, starts off more rustic like a good farmhouse strain, but has a ton of wood tannins to it, moderate acidity, bacterial weirdness, and a high degree of musty funk on the back end, very interesting and uncommon, very layered. its like that in the flavor too, constantly evolving. the wood here is strong, red wine notes to it, some fruitiness in that way, and the hops are curiously forward here, tangy and tropical even in the flavor, not like anything i have seen from italy before, possibly dry hopped post barrel treatment. tangy acid in this too in the end, like cranberries or something, but there is also a richness that does not usually accompany it, its from the grain, which has a liquid bread sort of hearty nature about it and just a little bit of coppery caramel sweetness. this is a beer of extraordinary depth of flavor. there is more carbonation here than it looks like it would have too, not as bright as the others, but still lively enough for what it is. of the very highest quality, these guys are now making three of the most delicious and unique beers that exist out there. worth every penny.

Amber coloured with a nose of oak and sour fruits.

Tastes of the oak aging and fruity sourness , I get cherries with a vinegar like sourness as well.

Light bodied with medium carbonation and the alcohol comes across as light as well.

Black Barrels does the Wild Ales well if at a premium price.

This is not an IPA, but instead a sour

Hazy orange, some decent foam.
Citric, tart smell, and woody too. Some fruitiness. Interesting.
At the taste the woody note is strong. Then fruity noters, tart, sharp, something like unripe plums. Intense.
But good.
In the aftertaste, beside the woody notes, some tart green apple notes.
Difficult beer, not easy to understand. It needs someone searching something different.
But if you can try it, you'll be happy...