Smultrumetället
The Referend Bier Blendery

2020 vintage here, november bottling, sexy packaging to be sure, cork and cage, green glass, dope label, but there is some confusion here as there appear to be two spellings of this word as a beer name, both associated with a spontaneous beer with strawberries, but i believe there is a typo in this listing and it should read smultrumstället, with an s, not an e, in the middle, thats how mine reads, i triple checked, but there is also one spelled smultronstället, i believe the difference is that this version was aged in rum barrels as well, hence the name. i think i have it, but its unclear. its lovely beer, strawberry forward, fully wild to me, woody and way mature now, i love these guys, always complex and awesome stuff, but i also wonder if this is a little old, like it might have been brighter on the fruit a couple of years ago, its still there, pungently even, but the sourness is up, and with this being a little bit closer to still, its not quite as lively as i think i hoped it would be, thats picking nits though, and im not here to do that with a beer this good. i thought it might take more color from the berries, just faintly pink, brassy, with some sediment towards the bottom thickening it up and less bubbles than i want it to have. sharp mouthwatering nose with some oak tannins, the bacterial element pushing some of the lambic type funk to the perimeter, some of that aged hop character, the weird strawberry seed thing thats iodine-like, some people dislike that in strawberry beer, i thirst for it, hay and straw, raw wheat way back, green glass oxidation, nice minerality, olive brine character, lemon juice, white wine, and yes indeed a lot of real strawberry, peak ripeness, not cooked or anything, sweet as a result, downright intoxicating, more funk as it warms, very wild. the flavor is all of this, some light vinegar sharpness up front adding to the springy rose vinous aspect, citrus here too with the readily identifiable strawberry, first and last thing i get is the fruit, but the ferment is wonderful as always with these guys, way mature and old worldy. its sourer than i need, and i suspect thats a time thing, and more bubbles is always appealing to me in beer like this, but i love the flavors, the ferment, the use of fruit, and the packaging, and always cherish my limited opportunities to drink beer from the referend! not sure rum is a huge element here for me, some definite woody sweetness, but its hard to place the spirit for me, more white wine than anything, delicious, would love to try the standard oak version too, this was a treat!