Cuvée De Somm
Pretentious Barrel House

 

 

Soured, barreled and blended, the brewers of Pretentious Barrel House then stumbles upon strawberries and cherries for a juicy dryness to envelope a sense of fruitiness to their normal funk and fauna.

Cuvée De Somm pours like a rusty red wine while a spirited foam cap builds on the rim. As a piquantly sour scent strikes the nose, so does a jolt of wine, cider, red berry, pitted fruit and peppery woods. A soothing sweet tone hits the early palate with a juicy dryness of taffy, hard candy and sourdough.

As the fruity ale washes the middle palate, the taste quickly sheds its sweetness and ushers in a bracing acidity fueled with crabapple, sour red grape, lime, lemon peel, grapefruit rind and gooseberry. With the red fruits woven into the natural fruitiness, the strawberry flavors are vivid with the more nuanced cherries registering like rhubarb, cranberry and raspberry with a tart cherry finish. Strikingly sour on the late palate, the peppery woods of the barrel only fuel the beer's dry, sour and pleasant tannic balance.

Medium-light and trending red wine-like with those bright berry and cherry flavor, the late finishes brisk, peppery and dry with wood spices before trailing with echoes of wine and red fruit.