Lookie Loo
Dwinell Country Ales

2023-06-04
16oz can split between a pair of WABL sample glasses. Can is not dated as far as I can tell. Not sure, but I think we bought this at Beer Junction a few weeks ago. This listing says it's 7%, but my can says it's 4%.

Pours a mostly clear dark purplish-red, initial pour has a bit of head that leaves a healthy ring behind. Smell is cherry with a saison-y funk, something herbal/vegetal, almost a mint or maybe menthol note.

Taste is heavy on the barnyard funk, that vegetation note comes through pretty clearly too, though it doesn't seem minty/menthol-y anymore. Cherry is very clearly there as well -- a little cherry juice and a bit of cherry tartness. Something about it reminds me of stems.

Mouthfeel is fairly light, fairly dry. Overall, it's pretty good.

 

A: The beer is very dark brownish red in color and appears black when viewed from afar. It poured with a finger high dense light beige head that gradually died down but consistently left a short head covering the surface and lots of lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of oak and cherries are present in the nose.
T: The taste follows the smell and also has hints of vinegar-like sourness and bits of vanilla from the oak.
M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I really liked the combination of flavors in the taste of this beer, which wasn't really that sour.

Serving type: bottle

a wild sour brown ale, oud bruin-esque, done with cherries. somehow i have never heard of these guys before i stumbled upon this bottle, but i immediately love them. i love the idea of country ales, another way of saying farmhouse i know, but something about it appeals to me, i like the aesthetic of the bottles too, and this beer was awesome. pours a crimson tinted light brown, and has almost no head at all, in brighter light it has a ruby glow, but not much carbonation. the aroma is very bacterially sour, but with some light lambic funk too, the cocoa and caramel notes of the darker malts, and a ton of tart and tangy pie cherries, natural as can be, with a big oaky profile of vanilla and wet wood. it seems immediately mature to me, and makes my mouth water. i get a lot of acid up front in the flavor, with the cherry coming first, a black cherry depth and a candied cherry sweetness with the malt here, subtle toffee sweetness backing it up. its really sour, but its also flavorful on the fermentation side, especially with the wood there, some brett setting in, lemony pucker, and big red wine tannins all through it. lighter bodied than it looks like it should be, a little sharp on the edges, but complex and delicious. i like the base beer being a bit darker, but its definitely light for a brown ale. some vinegar notes at the end with the fruit, more red wine, and some light funk as it warms. i was glad to be sharing the bottle, but its an impressive introduction to this brewery. looks like there might be other fruit versions of this same base out there, i could see blueberries being cool in it. more carbonation would be nice, but i cant complain, this was excellent! ill be on the lookout for more of their beers!