Consonance & Dissonance: Aromella
Fox Farm Brewery
- From:
- Fox Farm Brewery
- Connecticut, United States
- Style:
- Wild Ale
- ABV:
- 6.7%
- Score:
- +2 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 4.34 | pDev: 3.23%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 5
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 30, 2025
- Added:
- Apr 30, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
Consonance & Dissonance: Aromella is the first entry in an ongoing exploration of the distinct harmony between wine grapes and spontaneous beer. Prepared from a blend of mature beer aged in a variety of oak formats, all made with locally grown pilsner malt, unmalted wheat and whole leaf aged hops, C&D is composed with an eye towards featuring a particular grape variety. A stunner of a grape, Aromella grabbed our attention when tasting varieties grown by Blue Heron Vineyard at Foster Farm in South Windsor, CT. Reminiscent of Muscat or Gewürztraminer, Aromella is a little-known white grape that throws intense and unmistakable notes of peach, citrus and honeysuckle with the slightest undercurrent of allspice. The final blend for this beer was transferred onto the must (skins and juice) and allowed a complete re-fermentation on the fruit before being transferred back to oak for a three-month rest prior to packaging and bottle conditionsing early this year.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Jwale73 from Rhode Island
4.02/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4.02/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled 02.02.2022 and served in my Allagash chalice. Pours a lovely, honey-gold with just the slightest haze to the clarity. Head is effervescent and quickly dissipates. Nose is acidic and expresses a vinous character. Taste consistent with nose, with the addition of a light funky quality to the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is light in body, with an assertive, almost gassy carbonation, and a puckering acidity that leaves a residual burn at the back of the throat between quaffs. Overall, a very nice example of the style.
Apr 30, 2025
Reviewed by Roy_Hobbs from Connecticut
4.41/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
4.41/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Attractive beer....bright orange / yellow with persistent carbonation and a fizzy white head. Aroma is a wonderful blend of peach, oak, grapes and miscellaneous fruit. Very, very good smelling beer.
Taste is similar to the nose. Grapes, oak, honey, citrus and a well balanced acidity. Complex, nuanced and delicious. Light bodied and well carbonated. Overall, excellent beer.
Sep 04, 2023Taste is similar to the nose. Grapes, oak, honey, citrus and a well balanced acidity. Complex, nuanced and delicious. Light bodied and well carbonated. Overall, excellent beer.
Reviewed by FBarber from Illinois
4.27/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a cloudy, but not opaque golden peach yellow color. Thick, fizzy white head forms on the beer but quickly and completely dissipates. Aroma has notes of white grape, muscat grapes, peach, hints of yuzu and orange and some light honeysuckle. It's one of those aromas that is subtle and even handed but packs so much complexity. Really very nice.
Taste is surprisingly tart and sour - I was expecting something more even handed given how balanced the nose was, but instead it is an immediate punch to the palate - Notes of yuzu, lemon, lime, and some orange all come through with a strong sour acidic quality. There is a noticeable underlying funk with strong oaky and woody notes. There are also some notes of grapes (presumably the aromella) and white peach. It is pretty funky/sour. Feel is light, spritzy, and vibrant. Bright carbonation.
Overall this is a funky, sour spontaneous ale ... for me, it was on the border of my tolerance for funkiness and my heart burn says it was a bit much, but damn if it wasn't a really delicious beer.
Aug 29, 2022Taste is surprisingly tart and sour - I was expecting something more even handed given how balanced the nose was, but instead it is an immediate punch to the palate - Notes of yuzu, lemon, lime, and some orange all come through with a strong sour acidic quality. There is a noticeable underlying funk with strong oaky and woody notes. There are also some notes of grapes (presumably the aromella) and white peach. It is pretty funky/sour. Feel is light, spritzy, and vibrant. Bright carbonation.
Overall this is a funky, sour spontaneous ale ... for me, it was on the border of my tolerance for funkiness and my heart burn says it was a bit much, but damn if it wasn't a really delicious beer.
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut
4.4/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
4.4/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
An absolutely lovely, funky, slightly tart wild ale.
Impressive head production, a bit fizzy but with some staying power. There's a touch of cloudiness to the straw-colored body, even before you get to the yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle, which turns the overall color much murkier and browner.
Tart and funky on the nose, with strong hints of earth, barnyard, cheese, and mushroom to go along with a light citric sourness.
On the palate, this is exceptionally funky, more so than tart; the grapes add a touch of tartness, but even more so a very understated sweetness that balances the funk. Strongly oaky.
In a word: exceptional.
May 15, 2022Impressive head production, a bit fizzy but with some staying power. There's a touch of cloudiness to the straw-colored body, even before you get to the yeast sediment at the bottom of the bottle, which turns the overall color much murkier and browner.
Tart and funky on the nose, with strong hints of earth, barnyard, cheese, and mushroom to go along with a light citric sourness.
On the palate, this is exceptionally funky, more so than tart; the grapes add a touch of tartness, but even more so a very understated sweetness that balances the funk. Strongly oaky.
In a word: exceptional.
Reviewed by beergoot from Colorado
4.31/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.31/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A whiff of the bottle after prying off the cap and uncorking the bottle brought immediate notes of white grape and mild barnyard funk. The pour produced an initial nice white head that quickly faded to a faint wisp sitting atop a somewhat cloudy, peach and nectarine colored body; the head 'grew' a bit while opening up, a bit thicker, still thin, yet having some great retention. There is more of a horse blanket smell (not overpowering, just prevalent) with a lesser degree of white wine; there is also an herbal / lemongrass / hay element reaching my nose; a very light touch of citrus. The taste emboldens the citrus elements; lemon, grapefruit, orange; still some white grape / wine notes lurking in the background; nicely tart; not much malt presence noted, perhaps a very slight touch of wheat. Generally heavy mouthfeel; sharp and acidic on the palate; some very nice coarseness from the carbonation; citrus juiciness with a bit of dryness around the finish.
The head actually is larger and longer lasting on subsequent pours, so I've bumped up my original score of 4.0 accordingly. This is a well-crafted beer, interesting in its use of a local grape varietal, and skillful use of blending and oak-aging techniques. This is apparently the first of more beers like this, utilizing local grapes and spontaneous fermentation with the base beer. If they're as good as this one, those lucky enough to score them will be in for a real treat.
Pouring temperature: 47 °F; bottling data: BOTTLED 02.02.2022
Apr 30, 2022The head actually is larger and longer lasting on subsequent pours, so I've bumped up my original score of 4.0 accordingly. This is a well-crafted beer, interesting in its use of a local grape varietal, and skillful use of blending and oak-aging techniques. This is apparently the first of more beers like this, utilizing local grapes and spontaneous fermentation with the base beer. If they're as good as this one, those lucky enough to score them will be in for a real treat.
Pouring temperature: 47 °F; bottling data: BOTTLED 02.02.2022
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