Tap X: Aventinus Cuvée Barrique
Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn

Aventinus is one of my favorite beers. I was really hoping with would be Aventinus with a slight wine barrel element added. It isn't. This is a Flanders Oud Bruin; and as an Oud Bruin it is phenomenal. Still, I hope someday...

I left the sediment in the bottle, so this was a clear, reddish brown. It poured with a short lived, fizzy white head.

Flanders in the nose, a bit on the subdued side which is fine with me. Strong vinegar aromas but some vibrant berries keep things interesting. Plenty of wine and a surprisingly strong but well incorporated oakiness. No weizenbock here.

This has an approachable level of tartness/sourness, but it isn't lacking in depth in any way. The berry to vinegar ratio was close to even in the nose, but the berries are more prominent on the tongue. The wine barrel notes are not subtle at all, plenty of oak and long, vinous finish. The role of the base weizenbock has been relegated to a chewier than is typical for an Oud Bruin mouthfeel.

I loved this beer as is and if it wasn't around a dollar an ounce I would buy more. God I would love to try a raspberry or cherry infused weizenbock from these wheat wizards someday.

 

 

 

2014 Vintage

Appearance - brownish red colored body, very little white head

Smell - vinegar, berries

Taste - vinegar, tart cherry, berry

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, ample carbonation, very tart upfront and in the finish

Overall - I think this is past its prime at nearly a decade old. Sour lovers might like this albeit, I'm not a biggest fan of 'sours'

12.5 oz bottle
Bottling Year: 2016
Glass: snifter
ABV: 9.5%
Temp: 53.5 F

Note: this is not a typical Weizenbock. Or even a Weizenbock at all. It is a tart/sour beer. My ratings reflect it as a Weizenbock. See below for how I would rate it as a tart/sour beer.


Look:
Opaque medium brown. I got some, but not all, of the yeast in the bottle swirled into the glass. A minimal, fizzy beige/khaki head very quickly dissipates to a thin ring and wispy islands. These don’t last for long. No lacing is evident.

Aroma:
Tart but also sweet scents of non-Syrah or non-Cab based red wine. Red berries. Some oak. Notes of mulling spices lie underneath these other aromas. The more that I nose this beer, the more I am thinking of a lightly-spiced mulled wine.

Taste:
Very tart, pretty close to the to the point of being sour. The aromas are all here and are dialed up a few notches. But the tartness dominates. I do believe that I am puckering right now after a sip. Things finish tart, even sour, and dry.

Feel:
Crisp, sticky, and very tart. Body is a shade heavier than medium-light.

Overall:
This is far too tart and too sour for my preferences. I am not a fan of sour or tart beers much at all, so this one is definitely not in my wheelhouse. That being said, I can tell that it is well done and hits the notes that it was aiming for. Those who like sour and/or tart beers should enjoy this.

If I would rate this as tart/sour beer, I might rate it as follows:
(as mentioned, I am not a fan of sour/tart beers)

Look: 3.5
Smell: 3.75
Taste: 3.75
Feel: 3.75
Overall: 3.75

Composite Rating: 3.74

 

 

750ml bottle into a tulip. 2016 vintage.

Looks okay in the glass. Almost black body, clear deep red when held up to the light. The loose bubbly head disappears almost immediately, no lacing.

Sour fruity aroma.

On tasting, very sour. Just about tiptoes into vinegar territory. As it warms, it gets a little better, and a faint vanilla note comes into play.

Mouth above medium, finish tart and sour.

Overall, too sour and mildly vinegary notes. Perhaps a year or two ago would have pleased me more.

 

A - Pours a clear Cola colour with an off White head that reduces quickly
S - Heavy aromas of oak and dark fruits. This is very much like a Flemish Red
T - Much like the aroma except a vinegar kick and a bittery lemon sweet finish the flavour just lingers on and on
M - Light to medium body and medium carbonation
O - Excellent beer. If you like a Rodenbach Grand Cru this will suit you well

750 ml bottle, vintage 2016, Cardinal Pub & Bar, Stavanger. ABV 9.5%. Dark brown colour, thin off-white head. Lovely aroma of red wine and oak, red wine vinegar, brettanomyces / farmhouse and malts. Medium sour flavour with the same elements as the aroma.

Bottle. Gusher. Pours flat afterward. Dark amber with some sediment. Aroma is sweet and tart with berries, jam and also malt. Italian wine. Oak. Phenols. Nice flavor too. Tart, fruity, rich, malty, oaky. Tannic and vinous. Very nuanced flavor. Quite like a Flemish Red/Brown. Booze sneaks up but is pleasant and hedonistic. Almost flat but it sorta works here. Strong offering!!

 

 

 

12.5oz bottle poured into a snifter. 2014 vintage.

A: Deep ruby color with good clarity. Short-lived tan head settles into a thin cap. No real lacing to speak of, which is not unusual for a strong barrel aged beer that has a percentage of eisbock blended into it.

S: Vinous, fruit forward, and oaky. Raisin, black currant, and brandy-soaked plums. Subtle hints of nutty chocolate and black pepper.

T: Tart from the outset. Very vinous. Unmistakable wave of Chardonnay brings some citrusy and bright grape flavors. Soft and subtle oakiness. Darkfruit further develops with warming. Stewed prunes, red currant, brandy, raspberry vinaigrette. Nutty chocolate far in the background. Perhaps a touch of pepper. Chocolate and woody flavors become more pronounced on a drying finish.

M: Medium-thick body. Some chewiness, though it never really feels heavy. Fine-bubbled carbonation scrubs gently and lifts it into an almost soft and meringue-like texture.

O: A lot of great balance and subtlety going on here, despite the fact that the barrel is pretty vocal. It all melds together perfectly and makes for an easy-drinking but exquisite experience.

A- Pours a cola color with coffee hues blended into the mix, and while there was an initial head, it disappears very quickly into a nothingness to be honest. Again, on the idea of carbonation, even with some swirling, both gentle and aggressive, nothing rises to the top and of course its too hard to see what it is doing within the liquid. As far as lacing goes, I would say that it is more of a liqueur like oily film that coats the inside of the glass, suggesting that this is heavily bodied and rich!

S- Initial heavy rummy booze and oak, that with a little air time, becomes overripe cherries filled with alcohol, strong Eisbock qualities, vanilla bean infused chocolate, lots of wined oak, sweet leather, dry/long settled damp Earth must, and finishes on the nostrils long and dense. Think "Oakum"......

T- Wow this is much different than I was envisioning! The white wine oak barrel brings about a thorough tartness from start to finish, that is of very tart cherry and/or grape....perhaps some sour plum is in the mix too. After this initial shock, there is rummy smooth booze, woodsy oak, wine grape sourness and a lingering damp Earthiness.

M/O- Not as heavy a body as I would have expected, and this is very low carbonation as well. I would say that this starts to border a Cherry Lambic in terms of matching styles up. The wine grape tartness coming from the barrels are quite distinct but dont last overly long on the palate, balanced by the rummy qualities. Overall a very decent, yet different brew, and anyone expecting Tap 6/Eisbock, this is much much different....but recommended!