Little Sal
(has 1 batch)
Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine, United States 🇺🇸
Sour / Wild Beer - Flavoured Rotating|
Score
7.64
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Sour Ale brewed with Blueberries and Aged in Red Wine Barrels
Few things are more synonymous with Maine than blueberries. After years of making wild beers without ever using Maine’s state fruit, a tiny farm in Windham, Maine, asked us to try a beer with their blueberries. The beer tasted so good that we asked to use their entire crop.
To make Little Sal, we add wild, lowbush blueberries to sour red barrel-aged ale. The resulting beer is dark violet in color, with earthy aromas of blueberry and oak. Its flavor is juicy, tart, and unmistakably blueberry: a true taste of Maine.
Few things are more synonymous with Maine than blueberries. After years of making wild beers without ever using Maine’s state fruit, a tiny farm in Windham, Maine, asked us to try a beer with their blueberries. The beer tasted so good that we asked to use their entire crop.
To make Little Sal, we add wild, lowbush blueberries to sour red barrel-aged ale. The resulting beer is dark violet in color, with earthy aromas of blueberry and oak. Its flavor is juicy, tart, and unmistakably blueberry: a true taste of Maine.
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7.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottled. 2018 vintage. Damn near clear violet/ reddish color. Aroma is house yeast, blueberries, funk, and mild lactic acid. The flavor has a strong amount of blueberry that marries with the red wine barrel in a marvelous way. Lactic acid is here but not overwhelming. Sour pucker is here but not overly aggressive. Actually, as I finish the bottle, this is right up there with the best blueberry inspired brews I have ever sampled. But the mild hint of vinegar does mark it down a tad.
Tried
from Bottle
on 17 Mar 2018
at 22:00
8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 6
Overall 8
Draft at The Hop Shop. Purple color off pink head. Aroma of dusty blueberry. Taste is very softly sour fruit. Very tasty.
Tried
from Draft
on 16 May 2017
at 22:09
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at EBF, 2/3/17.
Dark purple-cranberry with a light haze and small, beige-pink-flecked head showing moderate retention for the style.
Strong blueberry nose shows off the enjoyable aspects of peppery, earthy, tannic skin, spicy seed (and skin) and tart, moderately acidic juice. Red wine helps bring forth the blueberry character as it mixes with the grape and various mineral-heavy tannins while acetic acid and light honey-vanilla from the malt sit on the finish adding vibrancy, strength and depth. No alcohol or flaw.
Tart and moderately acidic with a good mix of lactic acid, light oak, earthy and mineral rich wine notes and strong blueberry spiciness and juiciness. Crisp and drinkable thanks to the strong attenuation and tight carbonation. Soft, malty, tannic and lightly oily texture. Rich and quite sour, but dry, drinkable, complex and rewarding.
Dark purple-cranberry with a light haze and small, beige-pink-flecked head showing moderate retention for the style.
Strong blueberry nose shows off the enjoyable aspects of peppery, earthy, tannic skin, spicy seed (and skin) and tart, moderately acidic juice. Red wine helps bring forth the blueberry character as it mixes with the grape and various mineral-heavy tannins while acetic acid and light honey-vanilla from the malt sit on the finish adding vibrancy, strength and depth. No alcohol or flaw.
Tart and moderately acidic with a good mix of lactic acid, light oak, earthy and mineral rich wine notes and strong blueberry spiciness and juiciness. Crisp and drinkable thanks to the strong attenuation and tight carbonation. Soft, malty, tannic and lightly oily texture. Rich and quite sour, but dry, drinkable, complex and rewarding.
Tried
on 13 Mar 2017
at 17:07
7.8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
[2/3/17] Draught/Bottle at Extreme Beer Fest in Boston. Red. Berries, funk, tart. Great.
Tried
from Bottle
on 22 Feb 2017
at 07:51
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle shared at a level 42 tasting Canary wharf 5/5/2016. Many thanks to Paul for this one. A clouded deep purple pink coloured pour with a lasting pink frothy head. Aroma is big horsey funk, lacto, tart plum and raspberry, woody some harsh alcohol on the nose. Flavour is composed of puckering tart fruits, raspberry and underripe plum, some tart grapey tannin notes. Spicy puckering acid. Palate is medium bodied, sour puckering, highish. Super dry in the finish.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 May 2016
at 16:16
6.9/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
5th May 2016
Level 42 Bottleshare. Thanks to the Scopester. Hazy reddish orange beer, tidy pale cream colour head. Palate is light, dry and has reasonable fine carbonation. Tangy fruits, blueberry, redcurrant, generic berries. Red wine tang. Finishes sharpish with some lemon and a little acetic burn, but nowt serious like. Tangy fruity linger. Decent.
Level 42 Bottleshare. Thanks to the Scopester. Hazy reddish orange beer, tidy pale cream colour head. Palate is light, dry and has reasonable fine carbonation. Tangy fruits, blueberry, redcurrant, generic berries. Red wine tang. Finishes sharpish with some lemon and a little acetic burn, but nowt serious like. Tangy fruity linger. Decent.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 May 2016
at 02:48
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8.5
Bottle shared in London - many thanks to Paul. Pours unclear ruby with a foamy, pink head. The nose holds acidic berries, seedy raspberry, some old wood. Light sweet flavor with lightly jammy raspberry, good acidic bite, some lemon juice, a little woody dryness. Light bodied with spritzy carbonation. Quenching and lip-puckering finish, with more tart berries, light alcohol warmth, wood, cherry, raspberry. Solid.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 May 2016
at 12:52
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle shared at level 42. It pours deep purple with a small off-white head. The aroma is fresh, juicy berry, jammy ripe blueberry, red grape, vanilla, coconut, funk, dirt, farmyard and funky orchard fruits. The taste is crisp, tart, bright bracing acidity, sour blueberry, lemon sherbet, Granny Smith apple, earth, red grape skin, touch of tannins with a dry, slightly acidic finish. Medium body and fine, foamy carbonation. A touch acidic perhaps, but rather good fun anyways.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 May 2016
at 12:51
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle at the Level 42 tasting, many thanks to Paulo, 05/05/2016. Reddish raspberry brown with a decent beige cap. Nose is funky red berry, fruit balsams, acidic pinch on the nostrils, wood must, earthy, spice, oak barrel. Taste comprises funky red berry, brett dung, tarte blueberry, lightly smoked straw, funky, musty wood, fruit balsams. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, quite a sharp acidic bite and puckering throat scrape close. Solid sour.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 May 2016
at 12:49
8.1/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Bottle thanks to jbportland! Pours clear reddish amber, small beige head, some lacing. Aroma is fruity, funky, a bit of mushroom, vinous notes. Flavor is very light sweet, drying out quickly, lightly tart, fruity and a light overriding funk. Light body, champagnelike carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Sep 2014
at 16:32