Mixed Dubbels Curling
Rowley Farmhouse Ales

 

750ml cork and caged bottle. Snifter glass. Body is darker copper-brown body, one finger white head, medium collar, no lacing. Fair retention. Smell is tart green apple, a bit of cherry skin, moderate vinegar, touch of oak. Not so much stonefruit as advertised, but alright. Light toffee, smelling like a Flanders Oud Bruin, really. Flavour follows too, a bit of that oud bruin vinegar and slight malt sweetness, lemon and green apple, touch of cherry, light oak. Muddled, interesting but not one to dome. Mouthfeel is lighter bodied, lemon on the finish, cidery sweetness and dryness.

incredibly unique beer here, a dubbel as a base, belgian still, but brett fermented too. the menu said peaches, but the internet says plums, we kind of tasted both in here, and the fruit honestly is almost secondary to everything else, but it sure says plums to me. its also bottle conditioned with wildflower honey for an added layer of nuance. lighter in color for being a dubbel, but there is a weight and flavor depth to the grain in this that makes it unique from a lot of wild beers. i get some honey and some booze right away, and a cool mix of fruits with some fleshy sweetness and some skinny tartness as well, apricots and plums and juice, sweet in the nose but not so much when i taste it. the malts and the fruit together is fantastic, somewhat more delicate than i thought it might be, being familiar with some of their other beers. a cool barrel thing going on, vinous and sweet, lots of wet oak and then the bretty funk in the finish, which is mature and well developed, a little bit acidic but not at all too sour to drink on, plums more than peaches now, but still taste both, a trick of information and misinformation on my brain perhaps, but i dont mind at all! the complexity is second to none, the body is full and frothing and sudsy, and the overall flavor profile is fantastic. worth the steeper asking price on this, most of the bottled rowley beers i have had have been. clever and delicious, a wonderful cap to a splendid evening of beer drinking with close friends! underrated here for sure.