Wild Sinister Kid - Black Currant Pinot Noir
Trillium Brewing Company

Two years and four months old. Bottle to snifter glass.

Look: Pours a dark brownish red. Foaming a bit while pouring, but nothing stable.

Smell: Acidic red grape smell with boozy barrel notes. Complex.

Taste: Sweet grapes combined with tart black currants. Less barrel than the smell suggested. Rather complementing the fruits than pushing itself in the fore. The typical yeasty notes of this series are also there. Dry finish.

Feel: Drinks like a juicy red wine with a good amount of carbonation.

Overall: Complex fruited American wild ale with the typical characteristics of a heady red wine. Unfortunately the carbonation feels a bit overpowering which doesn’t work that well with the boozy grape notes. That being sad, the taste is perfectly balanced with the sweet bourbon barrel notes evening out the black currant tartness beautifully.

A 330ml bottle, bottled on 5th September 2019. Poured into a Lindemans stemmed lambic teku/tulip glass.

Appearance: A dark burgundy colour with a thin purple head that dissipated quickly to a ring around the glass, while leaving only sparse lacing.

Aroma: Black currant, oak, mixed berries, lightly vinous, and mild vanilla.

Taste: Tart, light sour, black currant, vinous, red wine, bourbon, oak, with a slight vanilla note.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate to soft carbonation, and a light but enjoyable booziness throughout.

Overall: Enjoyable complexity. Good balance of fruit and barrels, with the black currant complementing the wine and bourbon barrels well.

 

 

 

Drank from an 11.2 fl oz (330 ml) bottle purchased at Trillium Brewing Company, Boston, MA
05/SEPT/2019
Served in a Trillium Permutation Series glass

The beer poured an inky, dark Cabernet color. This looked exactly like a glass of sparkling red wine. The body was topped by a bubbly, finger-tall, light violet crown that quickly dissolved. No lacing whatsoever.

The aroma was pretty subtle initially. Some tart berry notes were detectable. There was a faint yeasty quality too. As the beer sat, the red wine character appeared. A big, bold, juicy Pinot Noir definitely came to mind. Really full and rounded. Touch of natural wine-like funk too. Super interesting and unique.

Unlike the nose, the flavor profile was excessively tart and acidic. Some black currant and blackberry notes appeared briefly on the front end before the acetic acid notes took over. This reminded me of drinking straight red wine vinegar or perhaps a bottle of red wine that had been open for multiple days. Some lemon-like acidity was noticeable on the back end and the finish too.

Medium bodied mouthfeel. The liquid contained a finer bubbled, fairly subtle effervescence. After a few sips, the acids in the beer felt like they were stripping the enamel off my teeth.

Many Trillium fruited wild ales are exceedingly sour, but this beer might very well be the worst offender to date. While the aroma was really interesting and the alcohol was remarkably well hidden, the beer was so intensely acidic that I could barely get through half of my glass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like a glass of Pinot Noir, dark dried fruity black currant aroma, almost earthy, sweet raisin-like, some spice, tart Pinot Noir red wine taste, pomegranate, strawberry, raspberry, raisiny black currants, oaky, red wine barrel, hint of bourbon, slight vanilla, dark molasses, bit of char, dark toffee, baking chocolate, dark caramel-like suggestions, light foresty earthy herbal notes, vinous black grapes, soft, medium bodied

Deep purple in color, minimal head and lacing. Really prominent scents of Concord grape juice, grape jelly, wine, and a hint of bourbon. Flavors are bourbon forward to start, followed by red wine and rich grape, currants. Hints of bourbon and grape must on the finish. Really interesting beer and very enjoyable. Totally nitpicking here, but it might have been perfect if the bourbon blend was dialed back just a bit. The bourbon flavors might have overpowered the other flavors just a bit as opposed to melded into the background but still a really awesome beer.

Lots going on here. Strong boozy nose and taste. Taste is sour, boozy, viscous, and strong. Overall great beer.