The Orchard Project: Plumcots
The Bruery Terreux

Had this tailgating back in October 2018.

Pours a cloudy dull yellow/gold. 1/2" white head. Aroma was sourness, apricot mostly noticeable, but different, but not specifically plum on the other side. Had a light red wine, apricot and lemon kind of nose vibe to it.

Taste and mouth feel is interesting, you've got this hazy ipa like base which appears to be flaked wheat, but this hefty acidic, strong sourstyle push going with almost 9% alcohol in a wild ale. It manages to hide the alcohol amazingly well, and even temper some of the sourness/acidity. Plenty of dryness on the backend, likely pushed along with the raspberry addition (which would also explain why the plum in the plumcot wasn't all that pronounced). Carbonation seemed high on it, but non problematic. Refernces to spices included don't seem to pan out, may have been like a witbier base that is overshadowed with the sourness of the beer, which is fine with me.

I liked the beer, but was prolly the weakest of the orchard project.

 

Received from @2beerdogs in NBS BIF 10 – Thanks Derek! Reviewed 11/17/19.
Mystery beer. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 50 degrees (as Derek suggested) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
This is the post-reveal review, after I knew what criteria against which to rate it.
Date etched on neck: 11/14/17
“Sour wit ale brewed with spices and aged in oak barrels with plumcots and raspberries”.
The underside of the cap has a yellow-orange deposit reminiscent of Brettanomyces sp.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Yellow, murky.
Body – Yellow-orange, murky and opaque. When held to direct light, still opaque.
Head – None. A few bubbles appear but they are gone coterminous with the pour.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 - Smells acidic but not enough to singe nose hairs. There is a bit of fruity odor as well, slightly citrusy.
Flavor – 4 - Taste follows nose – acidic, fruity, and a bit of citrus. Ends acidic and dry. No alcohol (8.7 % ABV) flavor or aroma, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide. No raspberry, no oak (although part of the ending dryness may very well be from the oak-based tannic acid), no distinct or identifiable spices.
Palate – 4 - Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 - I had to look up “Plumcot” – I’ve never seen one locally but the next time I’m in TX and HEB I’ll look for some. Overall, very good - more full-bodied and flavorful than most of the stuff I drink from Jester King.

A: Poured into a Bruery tulip to a deep and hazy golden yellow topped by a dense finger of white head which fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing.
S: Smells of some really nice stone fruit notes which I'm guessing are the plumcots. Slight oak and some nice light sourness.
T: Taste is plumcots and slight raspberry with some nice oak and some slight funk. Hints of light malts as well. On the swallow we get a lot of plumcot with some slight raspberry, light funk, and some lingering sourness.
M: The beer has a moderate amount of body with a slightly slick mouthfeel. Carbonation is while the beer has a drying finish due to the acidity.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer. The nectarine beer was top notch and this one just seems to be a tad behind that one. The slightly more muted fruit is allowing the base beer to come through better which is nice. It still has a lot of fruit flavor so I can't complain too much. Definitely worth a try if you like fruited sour beers.

 

2017 Vintage

Appearance: Slightly cloudy straw-yellow color with a generous-sized white head that gradually dissipates.

Smell: Modest barnyard funk. some hay notes, and mild fruit notes.

Taste: Tart fruit notes, some mild salty notes, a touch of leather, mild grassy and mild funk notes. The fruit notes and the salty notes meld together well. The finish is fairly dry ending with some fruit notes.

Mouth-feel: Light bodied with a medium level of carbonation.

Overall: An interesting Wild Ale. The beer's label states that it's brewed with spices but I get mainly salt notes along with the tart fruit notes. That's fine as the combination works.

375ml bottle into a snifter appears a clear light orange color with a white head.

It smells of sulfur, minerals and faint fruit to grass addition.

It taste quite grassy with a strange fruitiness that almost gets vinous towards the finish.

This is light in body with modest carbonation. Much different and less fruity than the other orchard projects I got to try. Would not buy this one again.