Name: Barrel-Aged Yama-Bushi Blonde #001
Brewer: Tamamura Honten Co./ Shiga Kogen (Japan)
Style: Wild Specialty Beer (Base Style: Blonde Ale)
ABV: 7.5%
Review Year: 2021
Barrel-Aged Yama-Bushi Blonde #001 (木樽熟成 山伏) by Tamamura Honten Co. (Nagano, Japan) is a sour blonde ale brewed with unmalted wheat, barley, and wheat malt. This sour beer was then aged for 19 months in wine barrels before undergoing secondary fermentation in the bottle for another eight months.
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
Pale gold, slightly hazy with a low white head. The initial nose was of moderate mango. Revisiting, moderate citrus (lemon, pomelo), raspberry, with light lactic acid joined in. Medium-bodied; moderately high carbonation. Mouthfeel was oily with a slightly puckering or astringent afterfeel. On the palate, prominent sourness complemented the citrus impressions (e.g., lemon, pomelo, and orange); a piney hop character manifested albeit at a moderately low level. Both bitterness and residual sweetness were not explicit. A light mango flavor composed the aftertaste.
THE VERDICT
Barrel-Aged Yama-Bushi Blonde #001 melded bright citrus fruits with lively acidity. The appearance is a strong point of this beer, but we think the overall balance was dominated by the sourness. Then again, one can argue that a Blonde Ale in itself is an approachable style without aggressive flavors, so a sour version of it would most likely favor the tartness over the other salient characteristics of the base style.
Wine and wood were not explicit, but the presence of subtle astringency was a nod to that process and may have even enhanced the perceived dryness of this beer. In our opinion, this Barrel-Aged Yama-Bushi variant did not showcase as much depth in aroma and flavor relative to the other beers of this range we have tried so far. This to us feels like a beer that was brewed to be enjoyed with food rather than one to be marveled in all its glory. Overall, it is still a commendable beer.
Related Reviews:
Tamamura Honten Co.
Beers From Japan
Recommended Readings:
Spontaneous Fermentation: Science, Not Sorcery (CraftBeer.com, 2011)
The Difference Between Saison and Farmhouse Ale (The Beer Connoisseur, 2019)
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