The Discreet Charm Of The Framboisie
Brooklyn Brewery

750 ml corked & caged bottle, as Brooklyn The Discreet Charm of the Framboisie. Sour ale barrel-aged with whole raspberries. ABV is 7.3%. At Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. Peach-coloured beer, hazy, some floaties. Huge white head, rapidly diminishing to none. Strong aroma of ripe and over-ripe raspberries, also some farmhouse notes. Moderate carbonation in the mouth. Medium sour flavour, notes of lactobacillus and brettanomyces, sour raspberries and lemons. Refreshing, despite its strength.

Reviewed from notes. Corked & caged 750 mL bottle purchased locally, 2016 vintage. Consumed 12/31/19. Poured into an El Catador Barrel-Aged glass.

A: Moderately hazy darkish gold. Forms a fizzy two-finger off-white head that fades fairly quickly. A bit surprising that it does not appear “pink” at all. Despite the modest age, quite a bit of visible carbonation remains.

S: Some lactic tart and bone dry Brettanomyces funk. Cracker malts and some perfumey ripe raspberries. Some lemony citric acid as well. Decent, but I wish more raspberry and/or funk was there.

T: Modest lactic tart, dry Brett funk with pineapple rind flavor, and lemony citric acid. Cracker malts. Some light raspberry sweetness. Woody dry tannins, and then a bigger Brett farmhouse, fresh hay and musty funk. Some lingering dry citric acid and just a bit of fruity berries in the hang.

M: Light body, alcohol well-hidden, good level of carbonation.

O: A decent beer to drink, but I'm not sure it's a great framboise. Nicely funky at this point, though the raspberries have (I assume) faded. Enjoyable to have this evening, but I wouldn't actively seek out a repeat performance.

Brewed in 2016 and cellared since. Poured from a cork'n'cage bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Hazed medium golden pour with a faint reddish pink hue as you hold it up to the light. 2 fingers of fizzy white head... better retention than expected and a thin rim of lacing.

S: Tart fruit, raspberry, lemon, green apple, and light funk/oak.

T/F: Light berry sweetness up front followed by tart green fruits... strong raspberry presence... granny smith apple, baking cherry, and lemon rind. Lacto presence... but not overly sour. Some definite funk and oak... dry white wine with some acidic character. Fizzy carbonation... effervescent on the tongue. Sticky and medium to light bodied.

O: A very solid raspberry sour. The oak aging worked really well here and it's got a lot of flavor and really good drinkability. One of the better Brooklyn offerings I've had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 3/24/2016. Pours clear medium golden/yellow, light orange/pink color with a 2 finger foamy off white head with decent retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big tart raspberry, cherry, lemon, lime, green apple, apricot, mango, melon, white wine, oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, musty/leathery funk, light honey, bread, light bourbon/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/acidic/funky/spicy yeast, raspberries, bourbon barrel, and moderate pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart raspberry, cherry, lemon, lime, green apple, apricot, mango, melon, white wine, oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, musty/leathery funk, light honey, bread, light bourbon/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Moderate fruity/lactic tartness and yeast/tannic oak spiciness; with lingering notes of raspberry, cherry, lemon, lime, green apple, apricot, mango, melon, white wine, oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, musty/leathery funk, light vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/acidic/funky/spicy yeast, raspberries, bourbon barrel, and moderate pale malt flavors; with a great malt/tartness and yeast/oak spiciness balance; with zero astringent/puckering flavors after the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, crisp, dry, and moderately acidic/tannic/grainy balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 7.3%. Overall this is a very nice fruited wild ale. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/acidic/funky/spicy yeast, raspberries, bourbon barrel, and moderate pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and pretty refreshing to drink with the modest acidity. Was hoping for more raspberry presence overall; but the balance of Lacto, Brett, barrel, and malt was pretty spot on; and there was still a nice raspberry fruit presence. Not overly sour. A very enjoyable offering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A delicious and juicy sour ale. Complex and wide in its flavors. A hazy pinkish orange. A fizzy white head that fades quickly to a ring. No lacing to speak of. Nose is tart, fruity and bourbon barreled. A complex blend of individually great aromas. Raspberries, oak, vanilla, bourbon, malt. Taste follows suit. Sweet and juicy malt and berry front. A drying tartness rushes in and brings barrel notes. A perfect amount of barrel I might add. It doesn't overwhelm, it enhances. The vanilla broadens the malt and helps the berries express. Brett is not shy as this one is deliciously sour. Bourbon and oak lightly underpin that dryness and pucker. Crisp light feel had a mild effervescent quality. Delicious and drinkable beer that I'd welcome anytime. The best endorsement actually came from my wife. She is not fond of sours at all. She enjoys this one.

 

A: Pours an orange/amber color with 2 fingers of head that quickly fizzles down to a small stream of bubbles around the glass

S: Lots of raspberry up front, along with some tart and funky acetic notes. Some malt sweetness in there as well, but raspberries and acetic acid make up most of the nose

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with waves of raspberry, tart acetic notes, and moderately sweet maltiness. Very light barrel presence. Goes into some breadiness towards the end as the acetic notes fade away. Finishes with lingering raspberry and very light acetic funk

M: Medium bodied with moderate, fine carbonation

O: A solid raspberry sour that is a nice sipper. Definitely focuses on the raspberries and acetic tartness, so if that's what you're into, this one is right for you (as long as the $20 price tag doesn't deter you)

A: The beer is hazy yellow in color with reddish hues and a moderate to high amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high white head that died down but consistently left a short, dense head covering the surface.
S: Light aromas of raspberry purée are present in the nose along with some hints of bourbon barrels.
T: The taste has flavors of raspberries along with notes of oak and a light amount of sourness. There are also some hints of bourbon and vanilla. The bourbon becomes a tad stronger as the beer warms up.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer has a very nice balance as it's neither overly fruity or sour and the subtle hints of bourbon lend some interesting complexities, particularly as the beer warms up.

Serving type: bottle

A: This poured a hazy gold with quickly dissipating head and chunky sediment.
S: It smelled like green mango and unripe apricot, with some tart white wine vinegar and funky oak.
T: It tasted like a tart apple and unripe apricot, with white wine vinegar and funky oak. It had a clean and crisp sour aftertaste.
M: It was thin and with lots of carbonation. Nice very bubbly body.
D: This was a great sour, but there was not much raspberry character. Nevertheless, the scent and taste were enjoyable and complex and not too acidic. The body was great, and the finish was relatively smooth. So it was easy enough to drink, but should be sipped. This could age a while. High quality brew, but I wish the raspberry had been a little more apparent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A pretty good beer. Personally, I am not getting much barrel character but it does have a pleasant tart and funky raspberry flavor and aroma. But I wouldn't spend that amount of money on a second bottle.

 

 

Hazy, orange in color. Fizzy head that doesn't stick around for long, characteristic for the style. Nice aroma that's both fruity and funky. Tart berry notes. Shoe leather. Medicine bottle. Smells like we're definitely in for some lacto sourness.

The flavor is merely tart, well short of being seriously sour. Pretty dry, too. An earthy, grainy flavor following the initial sour. This is a rare case where the bourbon barrel characteristics are too subtle as opposed to over the top. Not really getting any oak or bourbon character, which is a shame, because if that came in to play toward the finish, this would get a much better 'taste' score. As it is, the flavor just kind of fizzles out on the way to a somewhat dull finish. At least the mouthfeel is good, with just the right level of carbonation, fizzy but not super-prickly.

This is another BQE beer that's very good but falls short of greatness. A good, authentic framboise, but not in the same league as something like a Rose de Gambrinus.

 

 

Poured from a 750 ml corked bottle into a Brooklyn chalice.

Appearance: Pours a hazy golden orange with a moderate amount of bubbles and a solid finger of white head that quickly fades away.

Smell: A tart and juicy aroma with a scent of raspberries, brett, and vanilla. Upfront scent of raspberry juice along with some brett lacto yeast. Subtle barrel presence with some hints of vanilla, oak, and wood. Malt hints of grains, wheat, and cracker. Very light hop presence. A pretty nice juicy aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a juicy and tart taste with notes of raspberries, brett, and vanilla. Nice juicy taste of raspberries. Tart notes of brett lacto yeast. Not much bourbon from the barrel but there are some notes of vanilla, wood, and oak. Malt notes of wheat, grains, and cracker. Subtle earthy hops. A pretty good juicy and tart taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Juicy, tart, and smooth with a drying finish.

Overall: A pretty good take on a Framboisie. Good blend of fruit sweetness and brett tartness.

Excellent balance of raspberry, bready body, and tart finish. The fruit isn't as rich as the hallmark for raspberry sours, Wicked Weed's crazy Red Angel, but this has a great balance and the acidity isn't overpowering or discouraging. Beautiful beer. Really light and crisp enough for a fancy summer brew.

With one hand in the Brooklyn brewhouse and the other in the barrels of Brussels, the two come together in a Belgian-inspired sour taste with the raspberry fruit front and center. The classic Framboise flavor is respected, revered and redolent in this The Discreet Charm of the Framboise.

Golden and pink, the ale pours with the colorful tawny appearance of rosé wine, yet with a faint haze and a creamy and delicate foamy crown. The piquant tang of under-ripened berries reach the nose with mild succulence and a sharp souring scent that's bold of wine, cider, citrus and sea brine.

Through the center of taste, the ale takes a moderate and somewhat tepid tone. Dry cider, sparkling white wine and the beer's natural citrus flavor cast an array of lemon, lime, crabapple and grapefruit. Mineral-like and briney, the beer's saline character offers a verbose taste that bleeds into the sheer tartness of raspberry for mild succulence and refreshing acidity. As the ale exits the palate, an aura of leather, worn woods and cellar-like musitness returns.

Medium-dry for framboise, the sour ale retains a juicy taste and texture even at the risk of seeming slightly watery in the end. Peppery spice, vanilla and marzipan round the finish while those earthen wafts continue to echo above the palate in a retro-olfactory action. A short and crisp aftertaste is lightly oily and pastry-like evoking memory of rhubarb pie and berry dream bar.