Cabeernet
Butte Brewing Co.

an impressive little beer right here, my favorite from my visit to this beautiful brewery. the name says it all, a beer/wine hybrid of sorts, built like a simple blonde ale, aged in cabernet wine barrels and picking up some serious tart and funk along with the wood. i like the base being so light and basic, i think it lets the nuances from the barrel treatment really stand out, things like the cherry and plum notes of the wine, the vanilla and tannins in the oak, and the funky elements that have come out in this, its great really. the level of woodiness is insane, not sure if its extended ageing, first use barrels, or something else at work here, but the wood profile is in front of the wine in the flavor. a neat musty bretty element to this along with a puckery citric twang, likely not a fully wild beer, but we still dont have an american kettle sour category here on BA, so this might be the closest thing. enormously flavorful for its mild abv, and still quite drinkable. this seemed quite popular when i was in, and i see why. this is probably their most ambitious but also best executed beer on the wall right now...