Wijngaard Rood (2017)
Bokke

 

Dark earthy red appearance with a foamy light pink head that quickly recedes to a collar - no lacing. Grape skin, wine, tart, funk. Medium body, tingly moderate carbonation.

absolutely absurd product here, my first one from these guys and im praying now not my last. saw some empty bottles on the top shelf of a really sexy little bottle shop in madrid called be hoppy, had to ask, and the dude that owns the place said he had some bottles in the back because his shop is one of the spots designated to be able to sell these for on site consumption, my lucky day to finally try one of these beers had arrived! its cool they print the name of the shop on the label to limit and track any secondary sales, keeps everyone honest, so mine had be hoppy printed on the bottom below the now iconic logo. this beer is a blend of four different vintages of lambic, beyond gueuze status, and three different red wine grapes, 2017 vintage, bottled 2019. it was one of the best beer drinking experiences of my life. the color of this is blood red, maybe a tint toward beet purple, with a little cloudiness and the bottom but still high shine and dense color saturation, a nice little fizzy rose pink head on it, nice to see well carbonated lambic like this, and a lighter body, really pretty in the glass, and always feeling fancy when poured from the basket. the nose is striking to me, insanely complex, ferment before fruit, old lambic funk leads the way, super rustic and interesting, only mildly tart to me, and the grapes are jammy and tannic at the same time, maybe a hint of vanilla from the oak, raw wheat, my mouth waters profusely. i sit there and just smell it for ages before i even put it to my lips, its already a full sensory experience before i even taste it. the flavor is just epic, the fruit is so full of terroir, added to the wild ferment its about a dynamic a beer as might exist in the world. behind obvious red wine grapes of unique origin, i get deep minerality from them, a little tang from the skins, rosewater, red raspberry, heady natural wine, and the wood. the lambic underneath brings musty basement, old brett, mangy animal, and even a hit of some aged whole leaf hops remaining. this blend is fire, the technique and the attention to detail is masterful, and regardless of who produced this wort, i dont even know, the end result is as good as any lambic on the planet. glorious carbonation, very mild acidity, tons of wine textures to it as well, and really drinkable but warming up superbly well, i love how bold the fruit is but how the lambic continues to be front and center, never getting bowled over by the grapes. perhaps a top ten all time beer for me, perhaps top five, and to share it with my wife in this awesome little shop was something i will never forget. they hype is real people, this stuff is legit!

Pours a nice bourgundy red with a pinkish foam that disapates fairly quick. Nose is very grape forward as is the taste. Drinks like a funky red natural wine.

 

 

A huge thanks to Raf for this opportunity. 750ml corked and capped bottle into a Cantillon tumbler. Shared with schen9303.

Fantastic deep amber color. Little head or lace. Nose is grape skin, light spritzy tartness, and cherry and blackberry pulp. Lively and fruit forward with less funk overall. Beer opens plastic, blackberry seediness, oak, a touch of peat, and a heavy dose of barnyard, hay funk. I get purple grape skin in the middle along with more blackberry pulp, and lightly tart, vinous notes. More hay and cobweb funk at the end. This is fantastic. Body is light with moderately aggressive carbonation. Prickly and sparkling on the palate and goes down crisp and dry with a long, lingering, vinous aftertaste. I could do with a touch less bubbles but that aftertaste is on point.

This is damn good. Fantastic complexity and that aftertaste is just unbelievable.

Bottle, 750ml
Look: dark red with white/pinkish.
Smell: dark grapes, tart
Taste: dark grapes, tart, tanines beautifully present.
Mouthfeel: full bodied.
Overall: Complex, fruity, tart but not too much, winey.

Pours nice bright red with white Foam. Smell is very grape forward, the taste too. The tannines are nicely present. Complex with a smooth finish. One of my all time favourites!