Proglacial
Speciation Artisan Ales

 

I sat on this bottle for a while, thinking, "tequila barrels have not made my stomach or my taste buds happy before". So I waited, and tried a few other Speciation bottles, and got more and more in to golden sours - and finally I decided that I really wanted to try this.

Tequila is definitely in the nose - but, it's not overwhelming to the point that it overwhelms as you're drinking it (think that bad bourbon acetone that makes your eyes water). It's moderate, but sort of balanced by sourness and fruit. I like the nose, but the tequila is a little much.

Thankfully, the taste is quite smooth - the tequila is forward, as is the barrel, which makes the beer just a bit dryer than I might have expected. It's quite sour, with that nice bit of passion fruit, that adds some very welcome complexity. It's not exactly the thickest of sours, but it's also not thin - I like the body and appreciate that it isn't cloying or syrupy. The balance of sweet and sour to the taste, with the addition of fruit, is very kind to the taste buds. I like it quite a lot.

All in all, it's probably the best tequila barrel-aged sour I've had - and probably the best tequila barrel-aged beer overall. Quite well done!

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2018 vintage bottling. Pours slightly hazy pale golden straw color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy passion fruit, fruit skin, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, melon, papaya, berries, green apple, white wine, tequila, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and agave; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, passion fruit, tequila barrels, and light-moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big sour/tart/tangy passion fruit, fruit skin, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, melon, papaya, berries, green apple, white wine, tequila, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and agave; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. ight-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang; and light brett/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tart/tangy passion fruit, fruit skin, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, melon, papaya, berries, green apple, white wine, tequila, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, agave, light pepper/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, passion fruit, tequila barrels, and light-moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/sourness, and tangy fruit balance; with no puckering flavors after the finish. Fairly crisp/clean finishing. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately grainy/acidic/tangy, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 6.4%. Overall this is a fantastic fruited sour/wild ale! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, passion fruit, tequila barrels, and light-moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and pretty refreshing to drink with the modestly acidic/tangy/drying finish, not overly lactic. Amazingly juicy fruit and well rounded Brett/bacteria complexity; nice tequila barrel presence, and solid pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example as expected.

A - Pours a hazy gold with a large foamy white head. The head dissapates quickly leaving

S - Aroma is passionfruit, tequila and oak.

T - The taste sweet and tart passionfruit, greean apple skin, light amount of tequila and nice touch of oak.

M - Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Soft mouthfeel with a nice dry finish.

O - This is another killer beef from Speciation. The passionfruit adds a nice vibrant flavor that pairs perfectly with the tequila barrel.