Petit Mutant | The Alchemist

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 10/18/18

A: Pours a ruby red color with a fingers worth of head that fades down to a thin cap

S: Cherry, tannins, funk, oak, fruity esters, and some almond notes

T: Follows the nose. Starts off with the cherries, Brett funk, and light oak and tannins. Some fruity esters and almond notes make their way in towards the end. Finishes with lingering cherry notes and a touch of tartness

M: Medium bodied with moderate-high carbonation

O: A very good sour cherry ale that is good to sip on. Lots of complexity going on. Definitely worth checking out

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4.43/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

its a gusher... otherwise though an absolutely perfect looking beer, just fucking beautiful. smells like oak and vanilla, cherry, strong tart flavors, vinegar, peppery spice. huge amount of tart and funky vinegar notes, hay, green, cherry, mellow unripe raspberry, oak, vanilla. the feel is excessively carbonated, it almost works but just a bit too much.

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4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Sample at Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2018, Red Session. Ruby pink color. Aroma is fruity and a bit funky with lots of berry notes. Taste is tart, refreshing and fruity with berries and fruit pits flavors.

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3.91/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottled 08-18-2017

L- The beer pours a hazy plum color with almost no head formation. What little there is reduces to a thin ring. There is no lacing
S- The nose is a strong sour cherry component over the top of a musty funk from the Brett.
T- Like the nose the sour cherries are the dominant component. The brett funk makes it's appearance at the tail end of the palate and helps the beer to finish somewhat dry.
M- Overall mouthfeel is medium. There is very little carbonation left in the beer. I suspect that isn't typical and a problem of this bottle.
O- With proper carbonation this beer would be a joy to drink for those into brett or sour cherries. This bottle was lacking in that department and suffered some. I'll revisit in the future to see if I can get a properly carbed bottle.

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4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into fluted snifter.

Pour is colored like bing cherry juice. Maroon and mostly clear. Pink foamy head pops itself out fast and leaves a tiny ring around the glass.

Aroma is bright cherry juice, sweet and tart.

The flavor is cherry. Sweet cherries, tart cherries and a hint of background funk and grass. A crisp and clean flavored brew.

Moderate carbonation comes through a bit effervescent and lighter bodied.

I think this tasted and looked fantastic. Refined and layered flavors.

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3.63/5  rDev -11%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle shared by Eric that foamed over upon opening, thanks for sharing! Big tart cherry juice on the nose and in the flavor with just a hint of earthy light funkiness. Its a tasty beverage but I was honestly hoping for a bit more funk of tart or something,

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4.5/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 750mL bottle into an Alchemist Arome glass. Purchased at the brewery this past weekend. Paired with Alchemist cheese washed in Petit Mutant beer.

Pour a deep maroon body with a pink fizzy head that reduces quickly to leave little lacing and no retention.

Aromas are heavy cherry, lots of berries, that's pretty much all I get here but it's fantastic. Definitely going to be sour by the nose.

On the tongue is a significant tartness and a TON of cherries, so much cherry, I love it. Funky yeast comes through on the follow through, finishing dry. Mouthfeel is medium light with high carbonation, very refreshing and easy to drink.

Overall a very well done beer. Tons of cherry and balanced acidity. Would be great in a barrel to add some depth and complexity.

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4.35/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2014 can, shared with another BA. Not a lot tartness present anymore, but some good cherry overtones and feel. Very fortunate to try this, I enjoyed it more than the dude I shared with, considering he remembered how it tasted "fresh". To me, after a year and a half, it was a lightly tart cherry beer with some brett behind it.

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4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2015 can opened in Oct 2015

A – Whoa. Yeah, that is exactly what I want a cherry ale to look like. Bright cranberry and plum body. Pink head pours 2 fingers high before settling quickly back into the glass.

S – Deliciously dry nose with cherry pie, Jello, hay, and a touch of mint.

T – Cherry cobber, cherry pits, tart sourdough, and dusty barn notes.

M – Dry, medium-light body. Low carbonation.

O – More fruit ale than sour, but still really nice for what it is.

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4.42/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Sour, sweet, and citrus. A limited release that I received from a party they had for focal banger and this. I wish you could get it year round, or even seasonally, but I have yet to see it since. If someone has it.... TRADE FOR IT

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2.82/5  rDev -30.9%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The beer pours red with a fizzy, light pink head. The bubbles dissipate quickly. The aroma is sweet and sour cherries with some cough medicine flavor to it. A little bit of dust, but I have to look for it. Light honey sweetness in the background. Taste follows the aroma with a bit less fruit and more dry dustiness. It’s not really funky. Medicinal finish. Medium body. Some tang at the end. Not great.

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2.94/5  rDev -27.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

16 oz. can poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Clear red body. Lightly pink head.

Smell - Smells kinda bland. Musty cherry and some cough syrup. Yeasty, too.

Taste - Much better cherry flavor, but it is a bit medicinal. Light tartness. Grain. Like wheat.

Mouthfeel - Light. Well carbonated. A it abrasive.

Overall - Not really impressive. Artificial tasting.

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3.95/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Light fizzy head, bright rosy hazy color.

Nose sour fruity cherry. Nice mild acidic tangy, hint of funk.

Taste pretty sour at first, then mellow tart cherry, hint of funk, nice mild acidic, little tannin stem. Mild acidic sour flemmy finish, little bitterness and tannin lingering with tart cherry.

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3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep ruby red with a brief lived huge effervescent head. Straw and tart cherry on the nose - little else. The flavor is very fruit forward with just enough tartness to make this highly drinkable and refreshing. Finishes with just a bit of lingering tartness.

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3.61/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

I purchased eight cans of this beer at an Alchemist release party and wound up giving six away to friends who could not attend the event. I honestly felt like a beer Robin Hood that week. Unfortunately, I have since felt the guilt of giving away such a disappointing beer.

Those who remember the old Alchemist brew pub recall what the locals describe to be an amazing sour beer. Those who have tried recent iterations of this beer will certainly disagree.

The beer looks great, smells like cherries, and drinks like cherry cough syrup without the high with no discernible sour notes, just an unappealing funk.

It is not Rubaeus bad, but similar. Definitely not worthy of the Alchemist label.

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4.24/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Can received in a trade with Mark, thanks man.

This one pours a ruddy red color, with not much in the way of head or lacing. Looks really nice anyway.

This one smells very strongly of earthy, slightly tart, and slightly sweet cherries, with some definite brett aspects as well.

The intertwining of the brett yeast and the cherries gives this a very unique flavor. The cherry flavor is super earthy when laid on top of the mildly funky brett flavor. It's almost a dirty flavor. There's no sourness, and a mild amount of tartness that seems to be more derived from the cherries themselves than the yeast. The cherry flavor is full and rich, and really nice.

This is medium bodied, with a slightly creamy, but mostly juicy mouthfeel, with a moderate level of carbonation.

A really interesting beer, and nice to try something that isn't an IPA from the Alchemist.

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4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The aroma is earthy, almost "muddy," but of red cherries.

The falvor follows with bright cherry flavor. The beer is clean throughout, although lacking in tart quality. It drinks towards a New Glarus with a dry finish and light carbonation.

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4.2/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Murky auburn with a fleeting head of airy bubbles that dwindles to a fine ring. Funky black cherry and cider aromas front-and-center, with some phenolics, a little earth, and grapes. Flavor follows suit with less funkiness...tart, juicy cherries for days. Dry medium body with some puckering acidity on the gums. Not super complex - pretty much just cherries everywhere and I'm okay with that. Thankfully, nothing like cough syrup to me. Thanks, Pat!

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4.22/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Reddish copper brown colored beer, evenly clouded with a white, small tight head. Aroma is loaded with cherries, slightly funky/brettified, lightly tart, sweet and woody, a touch of red grapes, musky, and something similar to raspberries. Taste is pleasantly tart, packed with cherry, reminiscent of tart cranberry juice, fermented fruit, and again some woody musk funkiness.

Very enjoyable beer. Tart funky cherry pie...

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3.28/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 3.25

Part of the big share at Hunahpu’s Day 2014, poured into souvenir taster. Hazy red body with pink to white head that quickly fades. Some spots of lace left behind. Aroma is sour cherry, brett funk, earthy yeast, and cereal malt. Taste is bitter bretty earthiness, tart, sour, and medicinal cherries, and some malty sweetness. Light body, sticky texture, average carbonation, bitter medicinal brett finish, which is where this one fell apart for me.

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4.09/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16oz can into a Crooked Stave tulip.

Pours a murky amber with a pretty large one finger bubbly off-white head. Smell is sour cherry with that brett brux making the aroma that of a kriek. taste is musty cherry, leather, tobacco, and a little earthy grassyness. Feel is minimal tartness, medium-high carb, smooth, crisp and refreshing.

Overall this is not a sour ale by any means. There brett is there to really dry it out and bring that funky cherry to play. Still a very nice beer to sip on.

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2.67/5  rDev -34.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A: Bold, cloudy, ruby red. Very loud carbonation.

S: Musty brett funk, vinegar, and cherry jolly ranchers.

T: The tartness is there but overwhelmed by the artificial-tasting flavor of cherries and a bitter, cough syrup finish. Honestly, this tastes a lot like Robitussin.

M: Not sure if the slight syrupy sensation is there or an artifact of the cough syrup taste.

O: Happy to have tried it, more than happy to never have it again. Given that I traded something quite good for this, I might have to power through this one.

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3.75/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Thanks to AndrewK for sharing this one at his tasting.

Pours a hazy red with a foamy reddish-white head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Tiny dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is slightly sour with malt, earth, yeast, Brett, cherry, and fruit aromas. Taste is much the same with slightly sour earth, Brett, and cherry flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of Brett bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but the Brett makes things more earthy and slightly medicinal over cherry aspects.

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4.09/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 oz. (?) can obtained on trade (thanks, gmr75!), unknown brewing/bottling date but most recent vintage, poured into my The Bruery "Rue The Day" large snifter glass, drank 05/01/2014 over an hour.

A: 3/3 - red-maroon coloration, minimal clarity (cannot see through), tannish head pours fizzy and settles into a fine glass lacing persisting throughout the pour, small carbonation bubbles emerge off the bottom of the glass; moderate alcohol legs

S: 9/12 - the predominant aromas are sourish cherry and lactic acid; there is also some background Brett barnyard/tart character; no hop aroma

T: 15/20 - on the anterior tongue, there's a moderate sourness - sour cherries - that, I think, verges on medicinal; in the middle of the mouth, there's some flavors reminiscent of oak and tannins (which is odd because the beer is not barrel-aged); the alcohol is definitely well-hidden; finishes dry and inviting of subsequent sips

M: 4/5 - moderate bodied and appropriately carbonated (even effervescent) for an American wild ale; really nice dry, crisp finish that doesn't linger

O: 8/10 - a really solid sour fruit beer that I'm glad that I had the opportunity to try - other than some medicinal/Robitussin character, this was an enjoyable sour from a brewery that I (obviously) associate with hops; would I trade for it again? No; would I drink it again if offered? Absolutely

TOTAL = 39/50

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4.45/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep, cranberry red with a lovely pinkish head, reminding me a little of FFaC going by appearance alone. Nose: cherries. Duh. Taste: cherries. Double duh. Little else need be said, to be honest; you do get a bit of brett as well, but this beer is dominated by cherries. I think Wisconsin Belgian Red may be the only more straightforward representation of the fruit in beer. Neither are enormously complex beers, but both are tremendously delicious.

Personally, I love this stuff. I think this beer would have been received better by the craft beer community if fewer people expected to pour a true sour into their glass. Nota bene: 100% Brett does not a sour make.

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