Fou D'or
Hermit Thrush Brewery

Slightly hazy, golden color. Big, white head. Funk, lemon and a hint of wood in the aroma. Sour taste. Feels underaged because of a lack of complexity. Refreshing.

 

 

Tall can from the source in VT...purchased about 6 months or so and aged since then in the back of my fridge...no dating info that I can find.

Pour out with a medium cloudiness, minimal head that quickly departs, with no film, collar or lacing left behind.

Earthy and bright nose with tart apples coming to mind.

Fruity, crisp, flavorful brew, bursting with ripe tart apple cider notes and qualities, soft overripe melon, cherries, tart berries....again an earthiness underlying things...simply over the top complex and delicious...fine work here by the fine folks at HTB...should have bought a case, instead of one stinkin' can!

Pours a translucent light peach color with a fast champagne bubbly head. Smell is muted,wet leather, mild barrel notes. Taste is Tart and sour in a good way. Sort of like "sweet and sour candy. Picking up some dank earthiness,would not call it "funky". Almost a wet hay taste. Feels crisp and clean, ample carbonation. Finishes juicy. Overall a very nice sour wild ale. I think this brewery is trying to pay off the big oak vats by charging 36$ a 4pack of 16oz cans. I bought one to see if was justified and the answer is flat out NO- Good beer , insane price-

Hermit Thrush Brewery "Fou D'or"
1 Pint can without production codes or freshness dating
$8.99 @ Roger Wilco, Pennsauken, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: I love the name! I like the bright yellow label as well. It's poured a somewhat hazy dark golden body with a kind of brass sheen to it beneath a finger-thick head of bright white foam. I don't expect the head to stick around for too long as it's a sour beer, but damn if it isn't taking a long time to drop. The aroma is fruity, oaky,and suggests tartness. The flavor is not as sour as I thought it would be, which is good because at this level, what I'd call very tart, you could drink more than one if you wanted to. That is, of course, if you don't have stomach issues. I love sour beers, and I have no issues, but even for me if a beer is too sharp I can get burned out after one. On to the flavor, it's as you would expect given the aroma. It's tart with notes of sharp apple, pear, and red berries but the oak and a good bit of lightly sweetish and doughy malt come through as well. And that's it. It's simple and straightforward but it's also very clean and nicely balanced for what it is. Looking back I still have a nice collar on it, and the initial head left some nice lacing - that's good for a sour beer. In the mouth it's acidic as you'd expect, and that kind of sticks at the back of your throat a bit. It's medium-light in body, and crisp with a very fine-bubbled effervescent carbonation. This is a beautiful beer naturally fermented in oak, which is what I expect from Hermit Thrush. Beautiful! I could ask for just a little bit more depth of character but at the same time I kind of like it as it is because it doesn't demand a lot of thought or focus, you can just drink it and be happy.
Review #6,743

 

 

 

A- Tallboy can pours into a small becher glass with a mostly clear deep golden body and a small fizzy, frothy white cap. The head reachces about a finger high with poor retention. Rare spotty lacing.

S- Bright and acidic HT flora ferment is bold and carries all of the clout in the aroma. The acid is mostly lactic and lemony sour but there is just a touch of acetic vinaigrette. Sour apples, wet oak, vinous sour grapes, grape stems, musty fruits, sour wine and hints of funky hay.

T- Comes off a bit more like an unblendic, sour young lambic here compared to the aroma as the acidic portion of the brew is just straight up sour here. Bright, sour and vinous/fruity. Sour vinous grapes, apple, lemon, intense lactic acid, slight vinegar, wet smooth oak and just a but of musty funk.

MF- Light bodied with a very high level of carbonation. The texture is puffy and slightly frothy and it ends very, very sour.

A really sour golden ale that comes off like a young unblended lambic but a bit more sour and less complex than that. Fruity, bright and some nice foudre character. HT deserves more credit.

 

 

A: The beer is hazy amber yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a short white head covering the surface that left a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Moderate aromas of apples and oak are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and is quite sour, with flavors of apples and oak from the foudre aging.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This sour ale has a nice balance of aromas and flavors of apples and oak.

Serving type: can

 

Had on tap at the brewery. The beer had a clear, dark yellow appearance with a thin head. This beer had a complex nose to me. I could sense the aged wood hints but its wrapped around some sharp citrus flavors. The flavor of the beer had an apple sour taste. Medium body. Overall, really interesting aromas and a good taste.

 

 

 

this is really really good, fairly different and wild, fully wild, and loaded with unique terroir, way better than other beers i have had from hermit thrush so far. i wish i got to drink more of it, we only had one can and it got a little snaked out of the fridge, no ill intention or anything at all, it was sharing, but i would have loved to have been able to consume the whole thing by myself. its really and truly lambic-esque, oaky as heck, funky to high heaven, and really well refined, especially compared to some of the more juvenile beers i have had from these guys in the past. oak and tannins, brett and bacterial sourness, iodine and wheat, funny hops and minerals, its so interesting, wild, and bubbly. holds its head well in the glass, has a little color, and is just alive as can be. i did not know the beer from here was this good now, and i immediately wish i had more of it. as interesting and yeast driven as it gets, but balanced by a bigger malt bill too. i will be back for more of this, and will leap at my next chance to drink beer from these guys. way beyond my expectations, this was really wonderful beer. mature beyond belief, world class even...