Suddenly beer-lovers here in the States are all a-titter over dark, sour, wood-aged ales. These complex, fruity-tasting beers, native to the Netherlands and Belgian Flanders, represent one of the oldest beer styles in the world. In their traditional form, these Sour Reds – also known as ‘Flemish Red’ or ‘Oud Bruin’ beers – are related to real lambic beers: a touch of wild yeast and bacteria coming from the wood give acidity, both lactic (sour) and acetic (vinegar).
Trouble is, it’s become nearly impossible to find a true, traditional Sour Red, even in the place where the style was born. The spate of Sour Reds turning up here now leaves most drinkers crying in their beer. They’re too damned sweet! Crass commercialization has brought even the generally recognized ‘classics’ of the style to their knees. They’re pasteurized, and sometimes laced with sugar or artificial sweeteners to make them appealing to the less-discerning beer drinker. The traditional complexity, character, and dryness are missing in action.
But now comes Panil Barriquée, and not a minute too soon.
Barriquée is the only all-natural, traditionally-made example you will find today, and it comes from, of all places, Italy. This masterpiece is ‘triple-fermented.’ Primary fermentation is in stainless steel. The deep earthy, sour character results from three months of maturation in cognac barrels from Bordeaux, followed by re-fermentation and further aging in the bottle. Barriquée is not pasteurized or filtered, and no sweeteners are added, so it is uncompromisingly dry and complex, and endlessly interesting.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by beerguy101 from Newark, CA, USA who has tried this beer once. (11/23/2007 11:32:34 PM)
"2006 edition. This sour ale pours a deep red color from a 750ml bottle. Small sized white foamy head, with decent lacing. Aroma is fruity, tart, some oak and some funk. A medium bodied sour ale. The malts are fairly solid in this one, caramel and toffee and not that sweet. Nice cherry flavors. The hops are kind of earthy. The tartness and funk are solid, but kind of subdued, when compared to say Rodenbach Grand Cru or New Belgium La Foille. Probably making it ‘more drinkable’ to someone not familiar with this style. There is a lot of complexity going on here, soft and round mouthfeel. Seems a little under carbonated but that’s not that big a problem. Hides the 8% alcohol very well. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is tart and slightly funky. "
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.2)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $16 Unit Cost: $10.09 per Pint
[2] Review by staleyiv from Newnan, GA, USA who has tried this beer once. (11/5/2007 2:54:00 PM)
"--Bottled: 2006-- This brew will be challenging and I look forward to it for sure. Aroma on this fine ale is immediately sour with some Belgian funk coming through as well as some tart cherries as well as slight woody overtones and some red wine esters and some very faint sweet vinegar and some slight bacteria and is very effervescent. Appearance is a dark reddish in color with some flat brown overtones with an almost non-existent head on top with exception of some bubbles gathered around the walls of the glass that are a light-tan in color. Mouthfeel is well-rounded and very dry with tons of winey complexities as well as balance with a palate that is crisp and very clean; exceptional. Flavor on the sour ale is some dry vinegar and sherry with ripened tart, dark cherries as well as some oaky overtones with an aftertaste that is extremely sour and smooth as well as dry-like with a finish that is clean with even some vanilla characteristics and is surprisingly thin but not in a bad way and is light with faint funk and maybe some Brett as well. Overall, man-o-man, this is an extraodinary sour ale here and not as thick or heavy as, say, Rodenbach; and similar to Duchesse but seemingly lighter which is interesting given this is the strongest sour ale I have ever had and is very quaffable...exceptional quality in this fine creation!!! "
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
10/10
Flavor:
10/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750ml @ $14.99 Unit Cost: $9.46 per Pint
[3] Review by oh6gdx from Vaasa, Finland who has tried this beer once. (5/3/2007 4:39:39 AM)
"Brownish ruby colour with mediumsized beige head. Sour fruits in aroma with some hints of barnyard. Flavour is sour fruits and earthy with hints of wood. Very nice brew, and definitively the best Italian beer I have had so far. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.8)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[4] Review by Phil B from Gatineau, Canada who has tried this beer once. (3/23/2007 9:52:15 AM)
"Bottle courtesy of Boboski: Poured a deep cloudy reddish color ale with a big foamy head with great retention and good lacing. Aroma of oak is totally dominating and very enjoyable. Taste is also dominated by the oak which tend to give this beer a very vinous aspect. The sourness, tart and light sour cherries taste were well balance and provided a complex taste. Carbonation was just incredible and alcohol was well disguise. It would be very interesting to compare to the Rodenbach Grand Cru."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.5)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[5] Review by RedHaze from Bellevue, NE, USA who has tried this beer once. (3/7/2007 10:32:35 PM)
"Bottled in 2005 (750ml).
Pours a hazy, very nice dark plum color, with a small head that fades away immediately. There's a small ring that leaves behind a minimal lace. If it wasn't for the color of this, it wouldn't be that much to look at. On the second pour, which was a lot more aggressive, I was able to get a quarter inch head that disappeared just as quickly.
Smell; sour apples, tart cherries, oak and mildly alcoholic. Some spices are present, such as cinnamon and pepper.
Taste; as with the aroma lots of sour apples and tart cherries. The oak barrel flavor is very good, and there's a definite acidic quality. There's a touch of vinegar that kind of sits in the background, and this finishes with some mild spices and just a touch nutty. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with very little carbonation. As far as drinkability goes, I don't think that I've ever come cross a beer as drinkable as this one. I love tart flavors, and this style is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, and so far this is the best I've yet had."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
9/10
Overall:
9/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.3)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 750oz @ $16.99 Unit Cost: $0.36 per Pint
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(4.2)
