L'Obel
Speciation Artisan Ales

 

 

 

 

 

A - Pours a beautiful ruby red with a large fizzy pink head.

S - Aroma is boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries and lacto funk.

T - The taste is boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries, green apple skins, leather and red wine vinegar.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Soft mouthfeel with a crisp dry finish.

O - Really good. Big tart berries and lacto funk. Definetly worth seeking out.

 

 

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2019 vintage. Pours lightly hazy deep ruby red/orange, light pink/purple color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy pink head with good retention, that reduces to a thin spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a light amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy boysenberries, blackberry, raspberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of boysenberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast; moderate oak and pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of huge sour/tart/tangy boysenberries, blackberry, raspberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, fruit tang, and light yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/sour berries, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, peach, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of boysenberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast; moderate oak and pale/wheat malt flavors; with a nice malt/tart/sourness and tangy fruit balance; with minimal puckering flavors after the finish. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/sourness, tangy fruit, and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately grainy/acidic/tangy/tannic, and fairly crisp balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 6.6%. Overall this is a fantastic fruited sour/wild ale. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of boysenberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast; moderate oak and pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, easy, and fairly crisp to drink with the modestly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic. Amazing balanced of big juicy/jammy boysenberries and Brett/Bacteria complexity; with nice oak foeder presence, and pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. Zero residual sweetness from crisp acidic dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example as expected.

 

L - 2-finger dense pink head atop a translucent maroon body.

S - mixed berry, summer cocktails at the beach, salt, sugar.

T - moderately tart berries, with some wood, lime, brown sugar, just a hint of funk. Only mildly sour. No bitterness. Low sweetness. No booziness.

F - medium body and carb.

O - such an easy drinker.