Volume 17: Hyla Crucifer
Wunderkammer Bier

Bottle: Poured a clear red/amber color ale with a medium size foamy head with limited retention and light lacing. Aroma of tart notes with light earthy notes. Taste is a mix of dry caramelized malt with some tart notes, some earthy tines and light vegetables notes. Body is about average with good carbonation. Enjoyable sour thought not of lichen and mushrooms are not as apparent as I was expecting.

 

an exquisite and extraordinary beverage here, and the nonchalance of the whole thing kind of adds to the allure of it. reminds me of something scratch would make, which is of course a good thing. not sure how one harvests and brews with lichens, but im pretty into it! i love the "some sticks and leaves" ingredient listing, very much a forest floor in the fall kind of taste here, a state of decomposition of sorts, really neat terroir here, elevated beer for sure, and with the wonderful mixed fermentation brett and bacteria complex these guys have established in their other beers. this is so cool, wet orange fallen maple leaves, raw white button mushroom, rotting red apple, champagne, wet hay, dark bread, old oak and brett, ripe cheese, its crazy just how complex this is. i get some orange peel notes, some tannins, a little bit of sourness too, and the must of fall. its really amazingly dynamic, an expression of a specific season in a specific place, and so few beers can ever do that quite to this level. i think this is my favorite of the beers ive had from these guys so far, the complexity, seasonality, and use of peculiar ingredients is really second to none. funky and mature, tart and effervescent, rotting but clean, its seriously unlike anything ive ever had before, and it was a treat to share it with my brother. one of the best beers of my recent trip back east, astoundingly good. i wish everyone who has ever liked wild beer could taste this, its spectacular!

Brewed on 10/5/18

Pours a beautiful bright copper-orange body topped with a pillowy few fingers of soft, creamy white head with a condensed bubbling near the center; cap recedes fairly quickly, leaving behind an ample, uniform layering of lacing and a thin but frothy collar; near perfection.

Aromas of underripe strawberries, grapefruit, and a medley of citrus in sync with a lactic funk imparting a fruity sweetness to a savory mushroom and slightly smoky tree bark undertone; touch of lemon zest hits on the back end.

Taste shows grapefruit upfront followed by an earthy, lactic funk with savory mushroom again coming in on the back end; dried oak and lemon balm linger on the swallow.

Mouthfeel produces a body in the lighter side of medium with mild carbonation; wet upfront, while a crispness develops through the mid-palate into the swallow; medium tartness quickly outshined by a drying pucker fading into the finish.

Complex, layered, and smooth all-around; another funky gem from Wunderkammer marrying intriguing depth and calming drinkability.

 

 

Hazy acorn amber with a thin khaki chain, this very unique beer delivers a lightly hickory-like smoke with a woody spice and leafy, earthy autumn forest floor note, yet is tart via the crisp medium-light body that gives off an almost lemon iced tea exhale.

 

Tart, natural, earthy like the woods, moss, sticks, leaves, mild funk, oak, crackery bready malts, mushroom aftertaste, a touch of lemony citrus fruit

 

 

This one pours a slightly hazy golden orange color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This has some crazy funky earthiness on the nose - the mushrooms definitely come through strongly, with a peppery herbal aroma, some light stone fruit and citrus, and fruit skin.

I obviously don't know what lichen tastes like, but the mushrooms add a slightly sweet, damp, and earthy funk to this beer that is just wonderful. I'm not sure I could handle more than 4-5 oz of this, as it's just so polarizingly funky. There's a killer spiciness on the back end, almost like black pepper or something like that. It's a little bit citrusy, too.

This is light bodied, crisp and clean, with a good level of carbonatio. Due to the unique weirdness of the flavors, it's definitely a slow sipper.

This is wacky and rustic in all of the best ways. I always want to try more from this brewery.

 

 

375 ml. bottle.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 5/4 inch white head over a golden amber body with scant lacing. Nose of funk (blue cheese), citrus (grapefruit), and what must be a lichen and/or mushroom earthiness which keeps the other aromas and flavors in line. ;) Taste mirrors nose nicely, very smooth throughout, with a wonderful finish (ruby red grapefruit?) that has a bit of enticing sweetness that just lures you in. Whoa! Nice feel and overall, this could be my fave from WB. Cheers to the other magician of Greensboro Bend!