Wild Sinister Kid - Blackberry Cabernet
Trillium Brewing Company

Copenhagen 15/11 2022. 35,5 cl bottle from Mikkeller web-shop. Drawing of a broken tree doll leaning against a barrel on the label.

Pours opaque murky brownish red with a small off-white head. Very bubbly. Disappears almost immediately leaving brackish, murky waters behind. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is intense with a light sweet fruity odor soon overpowered by a sharp scent of unripe berries and a distinct funky and boozy touch. Sweet currants and blackberries. Tart gooseberries. Whiff of vinegar. Sour cheese and dark alcohol.

Strong carbonation. Thin, oily, lively, almost fizzy texture.

Flavor is intense with a light sweetness followed by a strong sharp and searing tart sourness. Aftertaste is austere and sour. Lingering. Finish is dry.

Wild sour and astringent with a light funky touch. Wild and sinister indeed.

Bottled and purchased from Temperance street tap because I wasn’t being left behind
Pours a bramble flesh with a few some sparse bubbles
Aroma is funk, sour times and blackberry madness
Flavour is red wine vinegar and a little balsamic it all settles back to a port wine hit then goes funky again

 

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

The beer poured a deep reddish-purple hue that looked somewhere between blackberry juice and Cabernet wine. A frothy, finger-tall, light violet crown topped the liquid and quickly fell to a pencil thin collar. No lacing whatsoever.

Terrific aroma. Like the appearance, both the blackberries and the wine barrels really made their presence known. The blackberry was really jammy and sweet and the Cabernet barrels contributed rich, full, rounded, red wine notes and a bit of oaky barrel. Some vanilla came through as well. Hint of bourbon too. As the beer warmed, the red wine presence intensified and exhibited some funkiness.

The flavor profile was similar to the nose but definitely more tart and acidic. Red wine notes led things off. Loads lemon-like acidity as well. Berry notes appeared as the beer moved along the palate, but I definitely would not pick out the blackberry specifically. The beer turned even more sour and acidic on the back end and the finish. Some oaky tannins lingered after the swallow.

Nice fluffy, lighter bodied mouthfeel. The liquid contained a larger bubbled, greater-than-average effervescence that was appropriate for the style.

Trillium’s fruited wild ales are usually exceedingly tart and acidic, but this beer was well balanced and allowed the blackberry and red wine notes to really shine. Of the three Wild Sinister Kid releases in the series, this definitely had the biggest wine presence and the most prominent fruit notes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass. Deep burgundy color with virtually no head or lacing. Rich scents of blackberry jam, grape must, Cabernet wine on the nose. Really enjoyable flavors of raspberry preserves, rich red wine, oak, and hint of bitterness and funk. Also some bourbon undertones and smoky oak. I’ve also had the black currant Pinot noir version of this beer and this one is definitely my favorite of the two. Even though the ratio of bourbon barrel aged beer to wine barrel aged beer is less in this version, the flavors in this version are much more balanced in my opinion. This version is more wine-forward with the bourbon lending nice smoky oak undertones, whereas the black currant Pinot noir version felt like the bourbon was overpowering. Maybe the blackberries and grape type do something to help with the balance? In any rate, a really enjoyable beer and definitely as close to a complex wine as you can get in the style.

Jammy blackberries, Cabernet fruit, big black grapes, dried fig, raspberry, raisin, red wine, caramel, dark toffee, chocolate, molasses, oak, vanilla, some bourbon, with vinous notes of cherry and dark berries