The Time and The Space
Small Pony Barrel Works

375 mL bottle from the LCBO; dated Oct 15 2021 and served barely chilled. Listed at 6.5%.

Pours a dark, clear purplish-red colour (like port wine), stirring up less than a finger of foamy, buff-coloured head that falls apart within a minute or so. A frothy, bubbly collar remains in place, with some sparse lace deposition; looks alright so far. Tart, heavily oaked aroma that includes raspberry juice, blueberry jam, baker's chocolate and vanilla; I'm also getting hints of cherry pit, earthiness, leather and ethanol, with just a twinge of wine vinegar.

Vanilla gets off to an early head start, with flavours of sweet blueberry jam, blackberry and bready, wheaty malts: an unassumingly juicy-sweet start that immediately gives way to this beer's potent sourness. Raspberry juice, lemon and cranberry come to mind, with hints of cocoa providing some added depth; lots of oak on the back end, with wine vinegar and leather at the finish. Tart, leathery, mildly funky aftertaste with vanilla and berry dissipating. Medium in body, with low-ish carbonation that gently brushes against the tongue, adding some frothiness to this brew's smooth mouthfeel.

Final Grade: 4.16, an A-. I've only reviewed a handful of Small Pony beers, but if there's one thing I've gathered from past experience it's that they know how to brew a barrel-aged sour ale as well as anyone in Ontario. The Time and The Space is one of their mellower offerings, at least of those I've tried so far, but it's still an intense, flavourful and memorable sour to experience. Well worth trying if you enjoy blueberry/raspberry beers or oaked sours.

Bottle: Poured a dark color ale with a large off-white foamy head with light retention and some light amount of lacing. Aroma of berry notes with the typical sour base beer form SP with some acidic notes also perceptible and some clear vanilla notes. Taste is also a mix of clear vanilla notes with some sour notes and light oak with just enough residual sugar notes to offset some of the acidity. Body is about average for style with good carbonation. A bit of a strange mix with the vanilla but still very enjoyable overall.

Got in a BIF from Coronaeus. Rated blind. 750 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2018 vintage bottling. Bit of a slow gusher. Pours hazy dark ruby red/purple color with a 1-2 finger dense and fluffy light pink head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy raspberry, blackberry, cherry, cranberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, toasted oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of chocolate, vanilla, cream, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of berries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrels, vanilla, and dark/bready/light roasted malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big sour/tart/tangy raspberry, blackberry, cherry, cranberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, toasted oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of chocolate, vanilla, cream, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, fruit tang, and light oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tart/tangy berries, cherry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, plum, pear, apricot, red/green apple, currant, red grape/wine, toasted oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, chocolate, vanilla, cream, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of berries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrels, vanilla, and dark/bready/light roasted malt flavors; with a nice malt/tart/sourness, and tangy fruit balance. Mild increasing pucker factor through the glass, but not overwhelming. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/sourness and tangy fruit. Medium carbonation and body; with a smooth, creamy/bready, acidic/tangy, fairly tannic, and lightly chalky balanced mouthfeel that great. Mild increasing warmth of 7.4% after the finish. Initial reaction was it is a fruited Flanders Brown ale. It is a dark sour with Raspberry, Blueberry, Vanilla. I was pretty close, blackberries vs blueberries was where I was wrong. Vanilla was a bit bigger in the nose, but lingering in the taste. Excellent brew all around; great complexity, robustness, and balance of berries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak barrels, vanilla, and dark/bready/light roasted malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not too overly lactic(but did give me heartburn). Awesome balance between juicy/jammy berries, Brett/Bacteria complexity, oak barrels, vanilla, and malts against acidity. A very enjoyable offering and well made style example.