Windham Flora
Hermit Thrush Brewery

 

 

Hermit thrush makes art not beer. I really like what they do. It's time consuming, labor intensive. It takes lots of barrels and lots of time. The price of their beers may deter some but in the end you get very special beers. This is especially true with their blends like Windham Flora. This is one of their best beers. I like all of their wine-gin barrel aged beers. Even the single batch non blends are very good. Windham Flora and their cuvee type or reserve blends are extra special. The first can I had of Windham Flora at the brewery was excellent. That was a few years ago. We just made our second visit and I stocked up on Windham Flora, reserve, Cuvee 2019, 2018 and some of their wine-gin aged beers. Great stuff.

 

 

 

 

The color is amber. The brew is relatively clear. Little head and absolutely zero lacing on the glass..

SweetTart aroma of cherry and citrus.

The sweet is brief and the tart is strong. The body is average while the carbonation is light. The overall effect is a lip puckering ale with plenty of neutral sour flavor. I get lime and lemon in the aftertaste, but it's brief.

Canned on 6/5/19

Pours a clear and glossy dark orange-copper with over a finger of frothy off-white head; solid retention sees the head fade steadily to a spotty, paper-thin cap, a thin, frothy ring around the surface, and a light smattering of persistent lacing.

Aromas of raw funk interlaced with powerful underlying red grape and especially subtle barnyard and musty hay tones set the tone for the entirety of the bouquet; oaky barrel complexity rounds out the back end.

Taste featuring apple cider vinegar is bright and acidic upfront, while an oaky acidity, cherry and apple skins sink effortlessly into the profile along the way; the lightest touch of oaky/fruity sweetness imparts naturally from the mid-palate onward.

Mouthfeel shows a medium-light body with spritzy, moderate-high carbonation; punchy tartness and lasting acidity peaks along the mid-palate into a semi-sweet finish and an ultra-dry lingering through the swallow.

A consistently composed wild ale, complex but not overtly so, with a prominent tartness/acidity soothed quietly through the barrel; the profile itself may not stun, but the execution has my attention.

Poured from a pounder can into a Dogfish Head tulip

As per the brewery, "Barrel aged, spontaneously fermented golden ale. Aged for 21 months in Marsala puncheons and Chianti casks."

L: Nearly clear golden burgundy pour with thin fizzy white head. Sticky lacing on the glass.

S: Tart and funky. Apple cider vinegar and unripened fruit.

T.F: Tart with a mild pucker. Funky and acidic. Vinegar and white wine... oak, green apple, unripened summer fruits, and tannins. Light bodied... effervescent carbonation. Tart and acidic at the finish with a melange of fruit.

O: A quality sour... and the barrel aging works nicely with this one. Hermit Thrush does this style quite well.

Pint can dated 06.05.19. Pours a very clear coppery amber with just a film of head. Smell is like cider - some sweetness with sourness. Taste is rather cidery also, with substantial sourness and oak. Feel is very fluid, a little puckering, minimal carbonation. Overall this is a good wild ale. A bit more sour and oakier than I would prefer. Also quite expensive, so I doubt I will try it again.

 

A: The beer is slightly hazy amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with just a narrow collar of white bubbles around the edge of the glass and wisps of lacing on the surface.
S: Moderate to strong aromas of funk are present in the nose; these soften a bit as the beer begins to warm up.
T: The initial taste follows the smell but then has notes of oaky red wine barrels from the aging process.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied and tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I really enjoyed the taste of this beer as I thought it had a nice balance between the funk and flavors of oaky red wine barrels.

Serving type: can

 

a very cool beer from these guys, easily the most evolved i have had from them. i thought it was mostly or entirely kettle soured stuff, but this is a real mature spontaneous beer, and then its uniquely aged in marsala and chianti wine vessels, both of which make a huge impact on this clear, brass colored beer. there is quite a bit of acidity to this, but its different in that there is some musty funk as well, yet the beer appears really well refined, super tidy on the fermentation and with a lot of sparkle to the feel. quite a bit of oak to this, fruity notes of dried apricot and golden raisin, and a lightly malty and sweet honey base running through this, off dry to finish, but not sugary. the marsala is ahead of the chianti for me, mainly because its so uncommon that it really stands out to me, earthy and boozy and regal, cool with the sourness, it works unexpectedly well. some dark fruits from the chianti, blackberry and plum, with some tannins there as well. rather layered and dynamic, unique to be sure, the barrel treatment here sets this apart, but the yeast profile is a bit more interesting than i have known in other beers from hermit thrush in the past. well done overall, memorable even.

 

Poured into a snifter (because all of my tulips were dirty), figured this was the closest respectable glassware.
The appearance had a dark amber semi-transparent color with a quickly dissipating cap of a fizzy white head. Just a little bit of concave lace and a slight glimpse of carbonation rising at a mellow rate.
The aroma had some apple cider vinegar, candied red apples, sweet floral tones, sweet woody barrel and some grassy hops.
The flavor puckered on into a huge sour character. Boy, I don't think I tried something this sour since I tried Weyerbacher's old stuff, yes, that dry, vinous and astringent. Aftertaste of green apples, apple cider vinegar and sour dry grassiness.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a pure sipping quality all about it. It's extremely dry and has a vinous dry character really pushing this one to most likely be short in its appeal to have any kind of smoothness. So, this really grips my tongue and causes a dry mostly vinous finish.
Overall, I'm trying to figure out how a beer can smell so wonderful but have a huge sour character in its flavor and be as puckering as it is in the feel. Me, I'd come back to this under fresher conditions.