Costermonger
Call to Arms Brewing Company

this beer totally fascinates me even if im not sure i like it yet. fashioned as a barrel aged apple ale, it really is something quite different. oak aged wild beer with colorado apples, definitely something unique, and very rustic, autumnal, and for once in an apple beer, more beer than cider, which makes it a winner just for that in my book! brassy copper color to this one, some decent head, and a cool tartness in the nose that makes my mouth water. a mix between what appears to be bacterially derived sourness and also the natural tang of the apple skins, there are a lot of apples in here for sure. the sourness isnt too much in the flavor, its just tart enough, but still well drinkable, very little bretty funk to this, its simple and straightforward on the yeast side of things as wild beer goes. the apples are awesome, both sweet and crisp in the same beer, and the malt profile is perfect for the fruit, not too much or too little, although i do think a little more body would be useful here, the flavors are dialed. i dont get as much barrel as i wanted, maybe just a neutral wood profile here in a very small proportion, but the apples taste fresh, and in a beer like this i think thats more important than it being woody. really interesting beer for the fall here, something super distinctive and unconventional, i know of nothing else like it, and while i keep dipping back in for more, i still dont know if i love it, if that makes sense. it certainly warrants some attention though, its one of a kind and a cool new take on a fall season. great use of apples, stoked they are so forward in this, and they were smart to keep this not super sour. really fun stuff!