In this latest batch review, we take a sensory trip to Bakewell, England not for Bakewell pudding but for three barrel-aged fruit sour beers from Thornbridge Brewery. Collectively, these beers feature gooseberry, cherry, and raspberry, as well as barrels that housed formerly Red and White Burgundy.
Thornbridge Brewery was created in 2005 when the founders Jim Harrison and Simon Webster recruited two young brewers to make beer on the grounds of the Thornbridge Hall using a second-hand 10-barrel kit. Today, the brewery distributes not just in the United Kingdom, but also in 35 other countries worldwide.
“The Heart Desires” Barrel-Aged Gooseberry Sour
Name: The Heart Desires
Brewer: Thornbridge Brewery (United Kingdom)
Style: Wild Specialty Beer (Base Style: Blonde Ale)
ABV: 6.5%
Review Year: 2020
The Heart Desires is sour Blonde Ale brewed with gooseberry and was aged in White Burgundy barrels. Red Burgundy is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France using 100% Pinot Noir grapes. On the contrary, White Burgundy is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Wild Specialty Beer (28C) with the Blonde Ale (18A) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Hazy straw color with a thin white head. Bright aromas of lemon and sour berries with added layers of wheat and brett-like (something spice-like and earthy) characters. Medium-bodied and effervescent. The flavor opens up with citrus fruit tartness, oak/ wood, and something akin to a Sauvignon Blanc. The aftertaste mirrors the mentioned flavors as it leaves the palate dry.
“Love Among the Ruins” Barrel-Aged Cherry Sour
Name: Love Among the Ruins
Brewer: Thornbridge Brewery (United Kingdom)
Style: Wild Specialty Beer (Base Style: American Amber Ale)
ABV: 7.0%
Review Year: 2020
Love Among the Ruins is a sour “red ale” with cherries aged in Red Burgundy barrels. An earlier vintage of this beer won Gold in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beers category of the World Beer Cup 2016.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Wild Specialty Beer (28C) with the American Amber Ale (19A) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the BJCP. The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Dazzling slightly hazy amber-colored beer with no head. Very complex aroma profile: red wine, raspberries, wild cherries, fermented plums, and hints of wood-like tones. Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated. The flavor mirrors broadly the aroma profile as rich and tart raspberries, red wine, and wild cherries dominate. Oak, lemon, and indistinct fermented fruits were noted secondarily. The mentioned tartness lingers into the aftertaste and leaves the palate puckering and dry.
“Days of Creation” Barrel-Aged Raspberry Sour
Name: Days of Creation
Brewer: Thornbridge Brewery (United Kingdom)
Style: Wild Specialty Beer (Base Style: American Amber Ale)
ABV: 7.0%
Review Year: 2020
The third and last in this batch review is Days of Creation, which is also a sour “red ale” aged in Red Burgundy barrels but with raspberries. Similar to Love Among the Ruins, a vintage of this beer was also entered in the World Beer Cup 2016 and won Silver in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beers category.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Wild Specialty Beer (28C) with the American Amber Ale (19A) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the BJCP. The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Days of Creation flats out as a hazy medium-amber beer. A prominently fruity tart aroma profile (think of lemon, passion fruit, and raspberry) is at the forefront. Scents of wood and brett add to the complexity. This barrel-aged sour has similar palate sensations with Love Among the Ruins, but with a marginally lighter body. For the flavor, this barrel-aged sour brings forth a sweet and tart duality highlighting raspberries and grapes. Like the nose, the fermentation and the aging processes lend a touch of brett and oak characters, respectively.
SUMMARY
Wild ales on their own are very idiosyncratic beers. Fruit additions and barrel aging even add more complexity to what these beers already have to offer. But we have always overlooked the various combinations of the base styles, the fruit/s, and the barrel types these wild ales could take on. With this unofficial trilogy, we learned that there are themes that can be followed when formulating barrel-aged sour ales brewed with fruits. For instance, it made sense for a sour Red Ale to go with “red” fruits such as cherries and raspberries and be conditioned in Red Burgundy barrels. The same can be said for a sour Blonde Ale brewed with gooseberry and aged in White Burgundy barrels. We think these concepts all worked in harmony in the end, and, ultimately, produced very unique wild ales.
The next time you encounter a wild ale, ask yourself– which types of fruits and barrels would suit this style?
Recommended Reading: FAQ: Entering Sour Fruit Beers (BJCP, 2017)
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