Meadowlark
Varietal Beer Company

really heady stuff, barrel aged wild ale with riesling grapes, exactly my kind of beer, bottled in january of 2022, picked up at the brewery. the gal there said they arent bottling this sort of stuff anymore, which is a shame because i do there there is advantage in these styles in glass over cans, but it is what it is, glad to have encountered this, and even though it got opened late night long after i didnt need any more beer, it was an enjoyable one! a little less head on this than their could be, like id expect the bottle conditioning after a couple of years to be vibrant, but really its a little less active than would be ideal. that said, its really cool beer anyway, lots of oak in aroma and flavor, distinctive stone fruit notes from the grapes and wood together, even the ferment, apricots and peaches, maybe mango too, but not too sweet. in the nose i get yellow florals, vanilla, white wine vinegar, and papaya with the stone fruit, mild elderflower too, some funk but more acid, mouthwatering and nice and mature. the flavor is awesome, grape forward and i think easy to place as riesling, although with more malt than expected here and some trace oxidation in play, i think it drinks a little heavier than the wine often does, some mid palate sweetness too, a marmalade note and then some real sharpness from the ferment, wild for sure, but quite piquant at this point. lightly bready on the grain side, oaky, musty, light brett, lemony bacterial pucker, and juicy wine grapes through the back half. its not flat but it could certainly handle more carbonation, and the acid might limit drinkability a bit, but this is really cool beer either way, love the grain and fruit together, the ferment is distinctive, and overall is a neat brew, cool they do so much with grapes, ive loved the handful of them ive had now! hangover on this one be damned!