The Ale Apothecary Ralph

Ralph

 

The Ale Apothecary in Bend, Oregon, United States 🇺🇸

  Sour / Wild Beer Regular
Score
7.72
ABV: 7.22% IBU: - Ticks: 30
Named in honor of the man himself, the pharmacist-father of our founding brewer-artist, we wouldn't be here without you.

Mashed overnight in an oak vat, Ralph is made of Mecca Grade Vanora malt, Skagit Valley Caramel malt, aged Goschie Farms Cascade hops, water from our Skyline aquifer, and microbes & fir boughs from our surrounding forest.

Open fermentation occurs in wooden vats prior to aging in Oregon pinot noir barrels from Domaine Drouhin. Over a year later, Ralph is transferred to a large barrel with fresh fir boughs prior to bottle fermentation with Oregon honey.

Bottles are aged 6 months minimum in our cellar prior to release.
 

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8/10
Crap, this is a perfect Christmas beer, should have saved it to share with a Christmas 🌲 piney as hell by definition, sweet and slight acid finish, nose is barrel oaky and piney funk, carb is perfect. Damn this is unique and fun. Warmer=weirder though
Tried from Bottle on 29 Mar 2020 at 18:53

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Light amber, little bit of haze, light brett up front with a fair bit of malt, biscuity amber notes.,touch of smoke, rosemary, sage, nice complexity. Pretty lactic in the finish.
Tried on 02 Feb 2020 at 04:54

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
On tap. Pours an orange mahogany with light head. Aromas of grapes and pine. Flavors of spruce, sharp tart grapes, lemon/lime and sharp wheaty malts. Lots of spruce.
Tried from Draft on 26 Jan 2020 at 04:52

7.4/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Taster on Weathered. Appearance: a bit hazy golden with a white head. Aroma: some herbal character, candy like, a bit sour. Taste: along the same lines, very candy like, some watermelon and nail polisher notes. Overall: it is strange, but not bad.
Tried from Can on 26 Jan 2020 at 04:40

7.9/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Sample from 11/21/13 bottle during the Pretend It’s Oregon: A De Garde Tasting Extravaganza on 07/27/2019. Cloudy orange-gold color with a medium eggshell white head that recedes steadily to an outer ring. Strings of lace. Fruity and botanical aroma with yeast and malt notes. Medium body with flavors of herbal yeast, pine, citrus and malt. The finish is woody and herbal with a fruity yeast aftertaste. Good beer overall.
Tried from Bottle on 30 Dec 2019 at 15:14

7.8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Tap @ Ale Apothecary taphouse. Pours hazy orange with a small white head. Aromas of brett, citrus, peach, oak, light oak, apples. Taste is peachy, bretty, pine needles, sweet oak, herbs.
Tried from Draft on 06 Nov 2019 at 16:55

8.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 9 Flavor 9 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Sehr süffiger und saurer Beginn, Rosmarin, vergorener Honig, intensiv. Spritzig, leicht steigende Säure, helles Holz. Vollmundig, langer saurer Abgang, gut! 9/12/12/13//13
Tried on 21 Aug 2019 at 16:53

9/10
Smells like straight fir needles, very piney, tastes like an air freshener
Tried from Bottle on 09 Aug 2019 at 21:50

7.6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
bottle oro velata leggera schiuma discreta persistenza buona acidita legno resina erbe balsamico
Tried from Bottle on 14 Jan 2019 at 13:24

8.1/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Bottle at Luppolo Station in Rome. Orange hazy color with a medium-low foam. Nose: forest aroma, pine, rosemary and herbs, sauge, honey. Mouth: oily sweet resin, rosemary and honey. Incredible beer
Tried from Bottle on 03 Nov 2018 at 10:20