Friends in Merlot Places
Springdale Beer Co.

 

 

Yet another grab from my trip to Springdale, we have a Wild Ale with merlot grapes. Currently hunkering down with this one in the midst of a huge blizzard, which I drove back from NYC to Massachusetts through which was a shitty experience. At least seeing No Pressure was worth it, one of the best damn sets I've ever seen. This beer is my reward for making it home in one piece. Okay, I'm rambling, let's get to it

Pours an opaque dark maroon with a finger of pinkish white head that quickly fades to a ring and leaves no lacing

There's a huge red wine presence to this beer in the aroma, something dark and complex with many layers. I'm picking up on aromas of dark cherry, vinegar, dark chocolate, buttery oak, tobacco, chewy fig, tart red grape, and toffee. Superb

It sadly loses some magic in taste. I was expecting a bit more depth based on the nose but it's still pretty good. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting tart cherry, brown bread, red wine vinegar, buttery oak, light cocoa, and red grape. The swallow brings notes of dark cherry, red wine vinegar, dry toasted oak, tart raspberry, toffee, and light toasted malt

A medium full body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a tannic and dry beer. Finishes quite dry and balanced despite the funk

I really enjoyed most of this, but like I said, the taste is a letdown compared to the nose. Oh well, it's still a great beer

Current jelly colored. Light haze. No head; no lace.

Raspberry tart aroma. Seemingly devoid of any residual sugars.

The flavor matches the aroma. I would describe this as a dry Framboise, but without the rich body or heightened carbonation. Although this is tart, the aftertaste is relatively short.

Pours a light fizzy pink head with small coverage and very low retention, hazy auburn reddish maroon like color

Nose has a lot going on, lots of buttery oak out front, some vanilla and raw toasty oak barrel, a flash of honey, with some mild blond malt and sour beer base, a bit of vinous red wine but not a ton, fair acidity and funk

Taste starts quite sour, bright acidity and some funk but not much, souring bacteria, lacto creamy sourness, with big oak again, quite buttery oak with a little vanilla and toasted oak, mild bready base malt and yeast note, sweet like reddish malt as well, mild vinous red wine, and an earthy dark fruit red wine, little port-like reddish liquor wine thing, drier finish with a bit more acidity, little flemmy, mild alcohol

Mouth is med to fuller bod, a touch syrupy and flemmy on the finish, fair acidity, light alcohol, medium-light tingly carb

Overall pretty solid, great barrel characters as usual, nice base souring beer also as usual, red wine was a bit light on the nose but plenty on the taste, so enjoyable without too much funk or overly sour