The Ale Apothecary El Cuatro

El Cuatro

 

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

  Flemish Red / Bruin Regular
Score
7.50
ABV: 10.0% IBU: 20 Ticks: 54
An American Oud Bruin, open-fermented and barrel-aged in fresh pinot noir barrels, then finished in brandy barrels and naturally carbonated with wildflower honey.

EL CUATRO is made of barley and caramel malts co-mingling with lactobacillus and brettanomyces. After brewing and conditioning, the beer is transferred into brandy & whiskey barrels to age for over a year during an extended Brettanomyces Lambicus fermentation. Prior to bottling, the beer is blended with a small portion of year-old SAHALIE. The only hops added to this beer arrive from the aged SAHALIE. 
The brandy barrels and wild yeast fermentation give EL CUATRO a plum & cherry fruitiness balanced by the slight toast of the malt body.
 

Sign up to add a tick or review

Join Us


     Show


6.4/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
Bottle @Ulfborg Tasting. Hazy amber, airy offwhite head. Bretty, woody aroma, light boozy notes too. Flavour is kinda harsh, bitter with citrus peel, sour cherries, brett. Rought acetone.
Tried from Bottle on 14 Apr 2018 at 17:18

7/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle. Pours a deep apple juice colour with little head. Aromas of pears, grapes, and sharp yeast. Flavours of musty tart grapes, dull lemon, Brett, light whiskey and bitter wood. Very interesting but expecting a lot more for the price. Rating reflects.
Tried from Bottle on 16 Dec 2017 at 12:59

6.5/10 Appearance 4 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Actually like a pale brownish kind of colour and quite muddy. Woody and acetic, sharp on the palate. Acetic and lactic. Quite yeasty, which softens it up a bit. Fun but bordering on harsh.
Tried on 15 Dec 2017 at 16:20

7.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
750 ml bottle. Nose of vinegar, vanilla, yogurt, cherries. Reddish-brown, cloudy. Cherry, vinegar, grapes, wine, and yogurt in the flavor. Good.
Tried from Bottle on 04 Jan 2017 at 19:18

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
750ml bottle thanks to rich. Pours out a hazy burnt orange topped with a small fizzy head. Nose is lots of barrel some lemon zest citrus notes and a light funky tartness. Taste is more of the barrels citrus zing and many more layers going on.
Tried from Bottle on 23 Oct 2016 at 12:30

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
A bottle on the Ale Apothecary beers tasting at Firefly on Cambie. Tasted with Brian. Bottled 07-Apr-2016. Pours a clear copper with a tan head. Aroma is slightly sweet, funky, fermented fruits, nail polish notes, plums. Taste is the same character. Good stuff.
Tried from Bottle on 19 Sep 2016 at 22:03

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
Bottle. Pours orange white head- nose and taste of oak, brandy, sour funk and citrus- med body
Tried from Bottle on 09 May 2015 at 04:21

6.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6
Tasting at Matt’s
Hazy amber color with small head. Sour aroma, hint of acetone and nuts. Strange flavor, on one side there is some good maltiness, on the other side there is a strong acetone feeling; the underlying sweetness tries to keep some drinkability, but the result is aggressive, too acidic. This beer is way too aggressive, unclassy; if you need a sour beer, pay for a Belgian Gueuze instead.
Tried on 09 Dec 2014 at 00:22

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bouteille 75cl via trade, thanks to Rado_. Actual abv shows 8.73%. Bottled 27/02/2014. Ambrée trouble, col fin blanc-cassé. Arôme est très vinaigré dès l’entrée de jeu sans pour cela sembler surfait, mais ce côté acétique en reste cependant fort présent. Note un rétro nasal de barrique proche d’un vin rouge cuit. Un bouquet malté caramel reste également bien présent. Palais rappelle une vieille brune avec un mélange agréable entre le malté et la barrique et ce profil un peu acidulé,dans ce cas ci aigrelet assez prenant. Le tout laissant penser à un cidre caramélisé accompagné d’une présence fruitée rouge de vin. Seul point faible restant ce profil aigre fort tenace qui aurait été trop gênant sur une bière de plus faible pourcentage d’alcool.
Tried from Bottle on 06 Dec 2014 at 08:23

7.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle - Light sour ketchup, cherry and nice sweetness. Clear copper with and beige head. Big tart notes, some vinegar and cherry notes. Ketchup and quiet nice.
Tried from Bottle on 10 Nov 2014 at 23:35