8.6

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

2000 bottle sampled Oct. 2004. Well I enjoyed half of the bottle and my friend’s sink, counter, floor and stove top enjoyed the other half. I should have known when I put the corkscrew in and the cork began to remove itself, but what could I have done (got a big glass and put it below the bottle I guess). Well anyways, it erupted like Mt Vesuvias. Incredibly violent and forceful upward explosion which was quick and sad. Oh well, it’s a lambic, I’m not surprised. Anyways, this almost 5 year old lambic poured with a vigorous large, brown head (beige cardboard color, walnutshell if you will). Murky gold, deep deep copper body, with light yellow tinges on the edges. Aroma of cedar, wet sawdust, sandalwood, lots of hops, vinegar, pepper, oak, and an all around lovely walk down the country road after it has just rained. Flavor starts off with plenty of mouthpuckering tartness, though the hops bitterness adds to this and it’s not all caused by the yeast and bacteria. Apple cider vinegar, green apples, light raspberry esters with a dry malt backbone. Light sweetness lurking at the bitter end, with a sweaty, almost oily sort of lactic acid flavor. Rich cedar and oak linger long on the palate, and for an unblended lambic it’s not nearly as thin or watery as I was expecting. Rich, powerful and profound. The huge carbonation, which died off as I let this breath for a while, still provided for a peppery textured body throughout. Good stuff, but I like the consistency and chewiness of wheat in my lambics. If I had to pinpoint my dislikes here, which were few, it would be the lack of a truly chewy texture, but the beer is still superb in its own right.