The last of these sours (technically lambics because spontaneously fermented) produced by Wild Beer in an actual coolship – sadly this very distinct brewery, certainly in an English context, has meanwhile ceased brewing. Many thanks to Craftmember for sharing. Off-white, medium thick, opening and dissipating, loose head lacing in dots over a misty amber-tinged orange blonde beer with rosy hue. Aroma of unripe plum and unripe mandarin, sour grape, green gooseberry, overripe nectarine, redcurrant, sour yoghurt, some wood, some pineapple and even some peach. Crisply sour onset, bit lemony but not vinegary, rich in fruitiness with impressions of unripe stonefruit, redcurrant and gooseberry, with a certain peachy sweetness hidden within the tartness; softish carb, slick and vinous body. A layer of grapey juiciness from the (in this case Californian) wine barrel treatment lurks underneath the smooth, sour-bready and slenderly biscuity, even somewhat creamy cerealliness, dried by yoghurty sourness and ongoing fruity acidity. Clear oaky tannins in the end but remaining clean, sleek and focused on tart fruitiness, with sour grape, gooseberry, sour plum, redcurrant and even some unripe citrus lingering; a bitterish hop note pops up briefly but quickly resides again. ‘Basic’ for a sour ale, but simplicity is complicated in the mixed and spontaneous fermentation fields; Wild Beer managed to produce a perfectly balanced, easily drinkable, very elegant and very fruity sour here. Loved it.

500ml bottle - Pours a lightly hazed orange amber colour with a small off-white head that quickly settled. The aroma is tart fruit, damp straw and barnyard. A tart fruity taste, unripe stonefruit, green pears, lemony and woody flavours with a moderately sour fruity finish. Very nice.

Keg at Brewdog Paddington, 10/03/23. Golden orange with a moderate white covering. Nose is funk, lemon rind, herb, damp straw, grains, barnyard esters. Taste comprises green berry skins, dry rot, funk, lemon rind, olive stones, damp hay, hedgerow, vinous. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close with a balanced acidic rise. Tidy easy drinking and well balanced sour.

Shortlived, medium, white head over veiled, well-carbonated metallic orange beer. Sour, and a bit artificial (not disturbing), dry nose. Dry fruit, faintly vinous, welled sultanas. Sour, but with a lot of fruitsugars underneath. Again vinous. Dried apricots, dried strawberries in lemonjuice. Sour pineapple. Serious acidburn and -thinning, dry-out effect. Not very carbonated in the end. Nice, but - even when I'm very sorry to see this brewery gone - Wild Beer is just not in the league of players as Wild Creatures or Land & Labour, let alone the real lambic brewers. But it remains a fine beer.

Bottle at Joe's. Pours hazy deep orange, nose is huge funk, oak, apricot, taste is similar, tart fruit, oak, zesty citrus.