Outcrossing
Speciation Artisan Ales

 

Dark magenta to purple with a short creamy pastel mauve-white blanket.

Wild berries and herbs bring to mind brambles, weeds and branches as a spicy funk that's kind of like toasted seeds pairs with hints of maple.

However, unfortunately, it's quite acetically sour, and while I like much of what they do and would love to recommend more Speciation beer, this definitely gets a ding in the mouthfeel for me, despite its complexity.

750ml bottle into tulip glass, bottledd in 10/2019. Pours slightly hazy/cloudy deep ruby red/pink/purple color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy pink head with poor retention, that reduces to nothing pretty quickly. No lacing, some clings bubbles and streaming carbonation on the glass. Aromas of huge tart/sour cherry, black currant, fruit skin/seed/pits, raspberry, blackberry, lemon, lime, peach, plum, apricot, green apple, red grape/wine, toasted oak, vanilla, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, leather, wet wood, wheat, cracker, white bread, musty/lacto funk, and yeast/oak earthiness. Incredible aromas with amazing complexity and balance of black currant, cherry, vanilla, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of huge tart/sour cherry, black currant, fruit skin/seed/pits, raspberry, blackberry, lemon, lime, peach, plum, apricot, green apple, red grape/wine, toasted oak, vanilla, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, leather, wet wood, wheat, cracker, white bread, musty/lacto funk, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, and Brett/wood tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour cherry, black currant, fruit skin/seed/pits, raspberry, blackberry, lemon, lime, peach, plum, apricot, green apple, red grape/wine, toasted oak, vanilla, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, leather, wet wood, wheat, cracker, white bread, musty/lacto funk, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of black currant, cherry, vanilla, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and bready malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/sourness balance, and minimal puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing acidic/tannic dryness through the glass. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy malts, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 10%. Overall this is an amazing fruited sour/wild ale. All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of black currant, cherry, vanilla, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the big ABV with the modestly acidic/tannic mouthfeel. Amazing balance of super jammy Cherry/Currants and Brett/Bacteria complexity; with a nice pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. Mild residual sweetness with lingering acidic/tannic dryness. A highly enjoyable and top tier style example as expected of the brewery. One of their best.

Pours a crimson color with a quarter inch pink head disappeared extremely quickly and left no lacing. Smell is if mild funk, sour cherries and a hint of vanilla. Taste is currant up front followed by tart cherries, tart blueberries, mild funk and vanilla. The vanilla comes out more as the beer warms. Medium bodied, very light carbonation, slightly prickly mouth feel, tart and dry finish.