Vedova Nera
Black Barrels Beer

 

not sure i call this one an old ale in terms of style, more of a wild black ale to me, but whatever, its incredible. not quite as over the top and life changing as the yellow doctor pale one these guys do, but its of unrivaled depth, uniqueness, and quality. another small bottle of italian beer north of 20 bucks at mr bs downtown, but one smell of this bubbly deep burgundy to pale black beer shows that it was a good buy. red wine tannins and tart cherries and dusty dry black malt and champagne and farmy brett and raisin and elderberry syrup all hit my nostrils at the same time. its enormously complex, but also somehow clean and quick to smell. like, its intense for a second and then gone, mouthwatering, tannic and a little sour, heavily wooded, with a lot of dried fruit flashing in briefly, but its more about the roast on this dark grain, light somehow, but distinct, fireplace and pavement if they were edible you know? the flavor is like that too, a lot of little micro flashes of unique flavors from tobacco to prune to one heck of an awesome mix of fermenting agents. its as complex as the golden one was, really robust, the yeast is the best part. its so dry and bubbly like champagne, then its gone instantly. notes of hay and bretty twang is all that remains, no sign of it being dark, no sign of red wine or fruit, just gone. i absolutely loved this beer, and im incredibly intrigued by the brewery. i wish it wasnt so pricey, but like a lot of the italian stuff, you get what you pay for. this is unlike anything else out there, and ranks among my favorite wild ales period.

edit: so cool to have a long cellared bottle of this so many years later, not sure how much of this ever came to the states, if more than our round of it did, but here we are in the summer of 2023 opening a dusty one from cellar, no date evident on bottle or neck tag, sadly my last from these guys. the beer is wonderfully transformed into something almost like an amaro, there is unique herbal bitterness all through it, from black and green tea to an almost gin note, black licorice, black pepper, citrus peel, and generally just more spiciness than i ever remember from when it was fresher. still insanely complex and unique on the ferment, no more tart than it ever was surprisingly, and now exceedingly dry but without having sacrificed any depth on the dark grain, this hasnt faded at all, just evolved. not sure how it got to this point but it works so well as an after dinner drink now, faint smoke, tobacco, and fernet. overall just world class, epic, extraordinary. a shame these dont come around anymore, or that more never made it over here. one of the unsung producers of the last decade for me, so under the radar but so incredible. i hope this is not the last i ever see from them, but i fear it. eite brew!

This is easily as good as any Russian River sour and delivers like a Flanders Red Ale, but darker and roastier. A little under carbed, but besides that, near perfect for the style! Would highly recommend if you can get your hands on it!!!

Capped and corked 375 ml bottle.

Pours black but more of a cola black than pitch black. There was a solid pop when I pulled the cork out but no gushing. Not a huge head of off white foam but persistent.

The sour smell leans towards a vinegar character but dark pitted fruit is there as well. Slight nose from the oak aging peeks through.

Much more oak in the taste. Vinegar and dark fruits sourness rule the roost. Some vanilla in the background.

Medium body light carbonation.

Heck of a good sour beer but the price point is kind of hard to go to on a regular basis.

Wow.
I had some problems trying to remove the stopper of this one and in the end I got some cork pieces floating on my beer, well I guess it happens.
In the end I got a fucking beautifull beer, dark as hell and with a tiny but creamy browny foam, that seems like a stout one and tastes a bit like sour cream.
Smell and body are aceitc and fruity (plum and cherry) with notes of wood; they're really complex and is difficult to distinguish some things: a bit of herbs and a bit of roasted malts are examples of what I savor.
Body is delicate, a bit velvety and carbonation is really low but with the delicate body makes a nice combination. Bitterness is also delicate and comes in the end.