The Ties That Bind
Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery

Yet another beer from that awesome camping trip in Summer 2018 that was like a mega bottle share in the woods of Oregon.

Pours a bright but slightly cloudy golden color with 1/3" white head. The aroma was pretty cool, you could parse through some of the light hints you get at fruit, but I don't think any was in there. But you go looking for a nectarine or apricot on the label. Somewhat reminds me of Cascade's Vine, but maybe its just the rhyme time game.

Taste keeps up with the lemon, green apple and light apricot vibes, but more of the citrus acidity to it. Mouthfeel is light, good wheat usage, plenty of flavor but good levity to it. Very dry finish to it, appreciated. Even hits some saison like notes, feels like it was made out in pasture. On the sour scale for a wild ale, this is up there, I dunno, maybe an 8 out of 10. While I read this was a red wine barrel, tastes like white wine barrel to me. Carbonation is tingly.

 

A: a hazy apricot cookie with a small white head.

S: tart and acidic, with stone fruit.

T: stone fruit, acidic, with hints if earthy flavor. A hint of barrel character.

M: light and bubbly and dry.

O: overall tasty as hell.

 

 

 

 

500ml for $18 (from 101?) with Dan in the backyard

very mature but also very delicate wild beer here, aged in red wine barrels and done in collaboration with crooked stave. its a cool beer, big thanks to my neighbor for sharing, i was afraid i had missed my opportunity to try this one. neat that they got together for a beer, and i think the recipe is awesome, some wheat and oats and spelt in the mash, i love a multigrain beer in this style that is also pale, funky, and delicate, it just adds a little something. there is a rawness to the grain, a really almost doughy cereal element thats there from start to finish in the flavor that i really like. in the nose, i get more bacteria than brett, lots of oak, lemon lime soda, and some light berries and tannins from the red wine, wheat obvious, bright for how long its been ageing. the flavor is really complex, the malt is persistent but dry and earthy, and there is a cool ester layer of green grapes and green apples from the yeast. light vanilla and tea in the oak, and still an obvious red wine component, its just very balanced and evolved and somehow still so effervescent and minimal, complex as it is, if that makes sense. the level of refinement here is amazing, and it seems like its only just getting started in the bottle, like a couple of years in the cellar is only going to help it further. quite sour already, with a neat farmy aspect and a lot of wine. great carbonation even though it doesnt hold much of a head, and overall a very special beer that stands out in an increasingly crowded style space. these guys always kill it individually, so no surprise that their collaboration was this good. id love to track another one down for some extended ageing!

edit: cool to have another bottle more than a year later, its soured up just a little, but also gotten drier. i think this could be white wine as easily as red, i taste more of the stone fruit and pear thing, even a hint of coconut flesh, rather than berries and red fruits. fun to share on a video call with the boys, this has held up really well and seems to be in its prime, id be in no rush to drink it if i had another bottle, should keep on evolving nicely. i get more jackie o than crooked stave now for sure on the ferment too...

500mL bottle poured into a tulip
A: Hazy dark yellow, 1/2 finger head
S: Sour apple, sour grapes, yeast, wheat, just a bit of funk
T: The grapes are front and center, both fresh and sour. A hint of citrus, green apple, yeast and vinegar. Much fruitier and less sour than the nose would suggest
M: Light-bodied, lightly sour, refreshing
O: Definitely less malt than the description on the label would suggest it has; the lengthy barrel aging treated this beer very well and it’s continuing to drink well a year after its release

 

 

 

 

Hazy yellow color. Aroma has vanilla sweetness, overripe fruits and lemon. Taste is tart, dry, yeasty, lemony, a bit acidic on the finish with light vinegar notes. Light body, crisp carbonation.