Native Oregonism
Culmination Brewing

Big-ass 750mL Magnum given to me by my friend Steve on the occasion of my most recent birthday. Culmination brewed this in collaboration with Ale Apothecary. "Ponderosa, Fir & Spruce boughs. 3 months in a new oak folder, 9 months in Cabernet barrels" per the label. Also per the label, "brewed May, 2016 & bottled April, 2017." Apparently, honey was added as well.

Poured into a giant Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass. Dark, russet colored in the glass. When held up to light, it takes on a clear dark ruby color. Big, beige, sudsy, but, sadly, a very short-lived head.

The nose is fruity and earthy, in about equal measure. The fruitiness has a vinous aspect to it, which is not surprising when one remembers it was aged in wine barrels. What I don't get is any whiff reminiscence of pine needles.

Much like in the nose, I don't find any trace of the pine needles in the taste. Fruit forward, in a grape and stone fruit sort of way, with a cloak of oakiness thrown around the fruit. Lightly tart and vinegary. What funk there is isn't brash at all. The honey seems just as MIA at this point as the tree boughs.

Medium bodied, with a coating yet dry, winey mouth feel.

Nice PNW wild ale that, while quite good, isn't blowing me away. I'm happy and grateful to be able to drink it, but it's not going on my list of must trys for the future.

 

picked this up at the brewery when we stopped this summer, a collaboration with ale apothecary, which immediately gives these guys some street cred, its done with a bunch of kind of trees, which is sexy as can be, and seemed like a nice one to to open for christmas day. i have to confess i was hoping for a little bit more of a liquid christmas tree, but its nice beer even if the pine and spruce and fir notes are pretty mild. its a deep amber color, a little hazy as we get into it but with a nice frothing tan head rising up. very tart in the nose, almost vinegar-like to me, very much flanders red-esque, abrasive, but also very earthy between the toasted grains and whats there from the added ingredients. i do get a hint of honey which is cool, and this seems both familiar and weird at the same time. the beer is woody and grainy without being spruce forward in the needle sense, very mature, notes of dried cherries and raisins, toffee too but its not sweet, and some red wine character here too. the honey lightens it somehow, adding a floral aspect and a little needed balancing sweetness set against all the acid, which ramps up even more with temperature. a pick up a hint of raspberry too, wet oak, and sweet tobacco. its got a lot of complexity, and it has some funk too, i just wish the acid was scaled back a bit in favor of a little more of that wild character that i know is in here. a neat idea for a beer and i think a well executed one, but the tree elements could stand to be a lot more robust if they get around to brewing this one again. for the fan of the nuanced sour red, this will be a smash hit though. innovative and unique, but even splitting a large bottle with one other dude felt like a big dose of this one in my belly.

 

Bottle Date: April 2017
Palate Contaminants: none

Color is medium brown, and it's part of the way to red. Not particularly clear, as I can see a little bit through it. Lots of fine, light brown head that leaves a good bit of lacing.

Good intensity on the nose as I can get a good whiff from a few feet away. Moderate sweetness and it's slightly vegetative. But really, it's all about the Lipton Sweet Tea with lemon. Kinda cool that it basically lands right on that. Not that there isn't a little light tobacco and honey, but it's Lipton's. (Okay, and light funk.)

Let's just say that the taste has lots of lemon right away. And it's funkier, although still on the relative light side for the type. Slightly lactic. Maybe should have had a lemon alfredo pasta tonight. Yeah, lots of lemon.

If one expects me to say that the aftertaste is anything but lemon... they'd be wrong. The taste is just so heavy. The lactic part shows up a little more, as well. Well integrated carbonation, medium-heavy weight for the type. Sneakily sugary.

It thankfully aged well, too.

2020-04-03
750ml bottle served in a WABL glass. Room is dark. If there is a date, I can't see it.

Pours rich amber with a big head. Lots of carbonation. Smell is tart and oaky. Maybe green grapes or apricot.

Taste is funk and oak, tart lemon or peach.

Mouthfeel is dry, resinous. Overall, nice.

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2020-12-27
Another bottle. Same serving glass. Same appearance as previously described. I get lots of tart, less oak, more green grapes and stone fruit. Looking at the label, I could map it to fir or something similar if I wanted to. I get TONS of oak in the flavor, more unripe apricot than lemon or peach, maybe really unripe grapes.