Cellador (2020)

*PLEASE READ*
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Hey guys,
Hope everyone is staying safe in this difficult time.

Today, Kevin Osborne, the head brewer from Cellador Ales, posted this in his Instagram account:



Many small businesses and breweries are going through hardships these days because of the COVID crisis, and all of our finances are tight as a result. But I would encourage everyone to support Cellador Ales in this time; not only are they wonderful people, but they are unique in that they are making some of the most elegant, beautiful beers in California, if not the country, right now.

They currently have a wonderful selection of bottles and growlers to go at their brewery (16745 Schoenborn Street North Hills, CA 91343), and several shops (Southland, Vendome Bev Hills...) carry their bottles. They are also available for delivery on Postmates.

They also do online orders and delivery. Here is a link to their current online order stash, their to-go bottle/growler list, website, and their information email:

https://www.celladorales.com/shop-beer/

https://www.celladorales.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/03.21.19-BOTTLE-LIST-2.pdf

http://www.celladorales.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/03.24.19-GROWLER_BOTTLE-LIST.pdf

[email protected]

For those of you who aren't familiar with Cellador's stuff: BIbliophile, Le Con, Chapeaux, Confuzzled, Gosesque Nectarine, Saison du Rossier, are some of the best wild ales / saisons I have had in recent memory. For my money they are making the best barrel fermented beers and sours in Southern Cali, alongside Homage.

Just in case, I don't work for Cellador or have any personal connection to the people there, other than being friends and acquaintances. I am just someone who supports them wholeheartedly as great people, and respects their amazing work.

Hope you are all staying safe

Cheers!
Daniel

 

The latest batch of Le Con is, well, spectacular.

 

Yesterday I shared a Boon Gueuze Black Label, a De Garde Premiere Desay, Sante Tomorrow-Today, and Le Con...

Well, Le Con made everything else seem like Steele Reserve 211.

 

Confuzzled, Famille, Moon Water, are all moderate with the tartness.

I would grab a Le Con just in case, since it is remarkable, even though it is tart. Rossier is tart but not too much, and a very nice beer if you like unfruited sours.

 

Le Con also uses admiral malt btw. I think it is succulent, and is an aromatic wonder. I would not compare it to Fou Foune since their culture is not reminiscent of lambic (Homage or Funk Factory are), but Cellador's work with stonefruit is arguably their strongest suit. I personally like their fruited wilds generly better than SARA's. Confuzzled is just succulent, you can almost chew on it, and the sweetness of the pineapple helps balance the acidity out. It is a ridiculously tasty, decadent beer.

Their bottle conditioning with honey really does help them bring out the fruit to the fore, with their beers being super jammy and fruit forward. Much more so than most Santes, whose strongest suit are their unfruited saisons imo. Rossier batch 3 is also drinking super nicely. Very different than SARA culture wise: it has the minerality you expect from Dupont, aged hops, less funky. Famille is a beautiful, elegant beer, and a great template of their profile.

I would stay clear of Fig Fumee. Not only is it very sour, but seriously under carbonated. I think something went wrong with that one.

 

Order Le Con, Confuzzled, Murex, Famille and Rossier.

 

The latest batch of Le Con is pretty spectacular, you'll be impressed. Confuzzled is like boobs in one's face. That's a good thing.

 

It's a ****ty beer. Decadent.

 

That's a very... red selection.

I don't particularly love Petalum, for similar reasons I don't like Carrot King: I get a bit of that vegetable burn which I don't really like. Petalum is significantly better though, far less tarter. Well made beer. Though not terribly complex. Too jammy and vegetable forward for its own good imo.

Psalm Spite I really, really love. It was a grower for me. I think it's totally unique and elegant, sort of he red wine variation of Equus Mulus, but better integrated overall. Not really that acidic, though if you are expecting a red wine, it would be. The fruit is quite astringent, and in fact it is very dry. But super complex, with the sherry coming up in the end. I think it should be drank at 55 degrees, so if you had it any colder you might have missed out on the deeper flavors.

Deadcrush is decadent. Quite sweet, but also very winey and grape forward. Super complex and tasty, though I think it's a bit overly busy for my palate, and a wee too sweet. Not sure how I feel about the carbonation. I prefer Psalm's rounder presentation for a wine hybrid. Still, a very cool beer.

Jeremy Bearimy is the most 'conventional' of the stash you just cited. It's a delicious cherry wild ale, tart, sweet, jammy, without being overdone in any way. I'd say it's the most balanced of the lot.

I personally think as far as wine-hybrids Anitya is their best effort yet. It strikes the right balance between a wild ale that brings their culture forward and wine; not overly yeasty or sweet, not overly carbonated, or acidic. It also drinks better as it warms up and the carbonation wears a bit. Beautiful beer.

As far as berry wilds, probably Naraka (Cinque had too much vanilla for me) if their best one yet. Basically a desert beer; jammy, sweet, tart, floral... I paired one yesterday with Homage's isolation and some chocolate covered almonds. Not bad, I tell you.

Stonefruit is where Cellador really comes into a class of their own imo. I had Slide Down my Cellar Door 2018 yesterday and it's a miracle of the beer. The latest batch of Le Con was also something ridiculous.

Oh, and their cider hybrids are also wonderful.