Rabarber (Oogst 2022)
Boerenerf

this is heady, up there with the best rhubarb lambics ive encountered, but there is so much natural synergy with rhubarb and beer like this, 2022 vintage, bottled early 2023, a hefty $45 price sticker on the cap, but i dont think i remember buying this, had it awhile now in the cellar, love busting out the belgian stuff at holiday time, and shared this with my wife while decorating our christmas tree last night, felt about right! the pour is stunning after the cork pulls out with a loud pop, golden to faint pink hued and crystal clear in our narrow white wine glasses under over two inches of puffy white head, awesome effervescence to this, ring lacing around the full perimeter of the glass on every sip, just a little haze in the very bottom of the bottle, lovely appearance! the nose and taste are sharp with real rhubarb juicy mouthwatering astringency, running a bit more tart to me than the base lambic, which has nice mature funk, aged hop character, a lot of wheat, old oak, white wine character, and a neat contrasting freshness with the rhubarb and also the verbena added to this, a really subtle but beautiful touch. the palate adjusts to the bracing pucker pretty fast and i get a lot more nuance as it sits, its almost like the acidity relaxes somehow. lots of white wine, subtle lemon and even peach, very obvious rhubarb character in its absolute purest form, sturdy oak, beautiful wild maturity, a little green glass weirdness too, which is flattering here, light spice late, herbal tea, zested orange, even cranberry, feels festive to me even if that wasnt the intention, and seems about at peak, well aged even though it isnt going anywhere as far as viability in the cellar at this point, the rhubarb is wonderful, the carbonation is uplifting and awesome, and overall the quality on this is certainly worth the price tag. loved very drop, sour but complex too. ive been really stoked on the beers these guys are putting out!

Pours a clear golden yellow, soapy 1" head that settles out to a resilient thick coaster of head, spotty lacing. Nose is funky and barny, ripe apricots, stone fruit, earthy hop, mossy forest floor. Taste is aggressively sharp and acetic, lemon peel and juice, tart apricots; doesn't have quite the depth that the nose hints at, but plays sharp (and a little fleeting). Carbonation is small and highly attenuated with a light mouthfeel. Overall, this was really tasty, but I expected a little more depth to this.