Distant Lands
Pastore Brewing and Blending

gorgeous and fascinating bottle of beer here, clear glass shows a sexy electric pink liquid, richly colored and radiant. possibly also called la stevnsbaer dorata after the kind of cherries used, the label is a little confusing, but the beer is wonderful. how have i never heard of these guys before?! the bottle gushes a bit when we open, the beer is very excited to get out of the bottle and into our glasses. its a wild golden base beer aged in the frederiksdal cherry wine barrels with some real special cherries, and heaps of them. the nose on this is pretty tart but also unique in terms of ferment, bretty and even lambic-like in flashes, truly wild, some vinous character too, lots of oak, very mature, not much grain to it for me, but the cherry profile is amazing, and i get the famed cherry wine through it all too. subtle cranberry and raspberry notes wrapped up with the cherry, lemon too perhaps, and the whole thing is vibrant and buzzing to me, really different and appealing. the flavor is like the nose, massively fruited but the cherries seem unique, different than what we end up with in a lot of american beers of similar build, and i like how they are sweet and tangy at the same time, its not one or the others. nuances of red roses, bitter citrus, and white wine are also here. the cherry wine is evident, the oak is sturdy, and the ferment is what really makes this for me, super funky and intriguing without being overly acidic. this feels like champagne on the palate, epic bottle conditioned effervescence, and its rather dry at the end for all the fruit it packs. a really impressive bottle of a beer from a brewery i need to know more about, this was one of the best random beer finds of our whole trip, and i will be on the hunt for more of their stuff. really worthwhile stuff here, not cheap, but you get what you pay for with this one! wow.