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Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales

Appearance: A little liquid had gathered on top of the cork which, when removed, opens with quite a pop; I was expecting a gusher but nothing spumed out; the pour was largely head, at first, but settled in to a nice balance between the cloudy golden liquid and the foam

Smell: Funky barnyard, stinky cheese, citrus pith and a hint of green apple

Taste: A lot of barnyard funk from the outset, earthy and oaky, with the citrus pith adding a lemon dimension; green apple tones emerge, after the swallow, with a stinky cheese finish

Mouthfeel: Medium body with high carbonation; a bit of pucker

Overall: A carbonation problem has emerged since this was bottled but the taste is still intact

 

 

 

 

 

L - Huge carb, frothy white head that holds. looks a light golden/yellow straw color with some hazy bubbly.
S - Aroma is absolutely off the chain, funk on funk, if you had this blind- you'd think it was from belgium. Melon hops pop with some lemon rind and old banyard cheese. Awesome!
T - Funky straw at the start, frothy hops hit well now and a slightly acidic (not overpowering at all) ending.
F - Smooth and full bodied in the initial taste, finishes with a dry grapefruit pith that I really dig.
O - Just an awesome bottle, I would call this up there with oxcart as my favorite ever from Black Project.

 

maybe the best beer i have ever had from these guys, and a beer of the year 2017 candidate for me, seriously incredible stuff. made in the traditional lambic method according to them, a blend of one, two, and three year old wild beer which is amazing on its own, but the kicker here is that its wet hopped! i have never heard of the belgians doing anything like this, and im not sure ive had wet hopped lambic or gueuze before, so exciting! the beer is downright brilliant, the hops are robust as can be in here, citrusy and earthy and vegetal and new and oily and flavorful and extremely fresh, new to me in this context. the lambic bases are blended beautifully, tons of wood and funk, the aged hop thing too, dry oak, lactic bacterial funkiness and acidity, straw and hay and floral elements, mature but also very alive, even blooming, just incredible with these hops, why has this not been done before? oak abounds, as does the high alpha hops, and this does get bitter in the finish, which i think is excellent with the citrusy high acidity, a combination of tastes and textures rarely seen. round and fluffy from the white wheat, maybe raw wheat, white wine, white grape, elder flower, pine and spruce and juniper, gin essence, orange peel, and an almost ipa hop character, its seriously insane. as bold and unique as this is, its also shockingly delicate and well refined, like, it bubbles like champagne, has a gorgeous yeast profile, truly belgian lambic style complexity and maturity, and the hops are dosed perfectly. i cant believe how good this is, still super drinkable, i wish i had more. a top beer for me in the style, and something that has me really excited about wet hopped wild ale, lambic in particularly. they absolutely nailed this!!!