Draft. Blackish beer with a low tan head. Sour and acetic aroma with dark fruit. Sour and acetic flavor with light whiskey and dark fruit. Medium bodied. Sour and acetic notes linger with light whiskey and dark fruit.

750 mL bottle poured, shared by Tcon. Huge thanks for sharing this one. Always love trying a fun, new sour from Cali. Nice blend of whiskey and wine barrel. Tart, but not nearly to the level I expected. A dominant wine barrel lingering flavor, with a light whiskey addition to compliment. Smooth flavor, a hint of cherry. A bit dry and dusty as an afterthought. Total sour red/brown here. A neglected style. A bit woody on the finish too. A really good barrel centered brew here. Very nice.

Draft @ Steele & Hops, Santa Rosa, CA. Pours a dark brown color with no head. Has a fruity sour tart woody dark fruit aroma. Fruity sour tart woody dark fruit and caramel flavor. Has a fruity sour tart woody caramel and dark fruit finish.

[1/27/17] Draught at Steel & Hops in Santa Rosa. Reddish brown. Oak, wine, red fruits, cellar, a bit of vinegar, caramel, a bit of roast. Sweetish and sour. Medium-bodied. Very nice.

Poured from a 750 ml bottle. Aroma is a bit odd with a dominating malt and phenolic profile which I was not expecting. Chocolate, coffee, toasted bread and nuts with some grassy and peppery phenolic notes. Some light dark fruit notes with raisin, plum and prune. Lighter oak and bourbon notes. Pours dark brown but not quite black with a medium large, pillowy and frothy, dark tan head that recedes to a thin film rather quickly then lingers. Medium lacing and small legs. Flavor is moderately acidic with a balanced, medium light sweetness. Acidity is well rounded and not very sharp. Lots of malt character with chocolate, coffee, roast and toasted bread. A lot more dark fruit notes with raisin, plum, prune, berry and black cherry. Much less phenolics with only light pepper and grass notes. Light oak with some light red wine and faint bourbon notes. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Low astringency and low alcohol warmth. Overall, a much better beer than I was expecting based on the description and aroma. I’m not a huge fan of dark sours, but this one is pretty nice. The acidity is present, but mellow and the dark fruit notes compliment the dark malts rather than clashing with them. The barrel character also adds some nice complexity. On the basis of flavor alone this may be my favorite dark sour.

From tap at Steele & Hops, Santa Rosa. Dark brown ruby red color with almost no head. Malty and yeasty aroma, tart fruity, dark fruits - berries, vinus, wood. Light sweet and moderate acidic taste. Medium oily body with soft carbonation.

Draft pour sampled at Steele & Hops. Reddish purple color. Aromas of grapes, red wine, oak. Tastes of oak, grapes, red wine. Medium body with a dry finish.

Capped 750 from Bine & Vine. Pours brown with a tan head. Aroma of musty wood, red berries and maybe rye. Makes me think of sour red/brown. Med body. Flavor is musty, wood, red berry and just a hint of rye. Finish is sort of flat, earthy wood. With red berry again. It’s clearly a sour, but it’s not the harsh, biting kind. Very much a red/brown to me. The rye spice is a rather different feature for that style, but it works. More wood always helps?

On tap at Steele and Hops. Pours a very dark brown with small beige head that diminishes to nothing. The aroma is leather, oak, vinegar, dark fruit. Thin body, similar flavors to nose, vinous, nice tartness, very good.