750mL growler filled and drunk 4/22/17.
Minimally hazy, very light, straw-blonde-golden body topped by a large, white head with moderate to moderately strong retention.
The absolutely stunning, juicy, but still light and elegant Ella hops greatly outdo the mosaic, thankfully. Not that mosaic can’t be done very well too, but I greatly prefer Ella. It’s not a hop bomb by any sense, though and the bright, juicy character quickly gives way to rustic grains, light apple and pear esters and a bit of tartness from Brett and possibly light amounts of lactic acid. There’s a strong mineral character and general fresh, vibrant, intangible character, as well, to the beer. No oak or anything aggressive at all, really. Just tons of yellow fruits, strong minerals and snappy grains.
Bright and tart in the mouth, but the tartness eases off a good deal as the lightly watery, very drinkable and soft character of the beer asserts itself with plaster, mineral and dry, yellow fruit notes through the middle. Just enough Brett-like tartness to add some more complexity while still allowing the Sacch yeast to do most of the work. Low bitterness, tight carbonation and just an unbelievably flavorful and highly drinkable experience.

Draught at the brewery, 4/22/17.
Dark coal-black with dark magenta tints on the edges and an undetermined clarity (seems opaque). Tan head atop is medium-sized and fades slowly to cover.
Light char, adding a touch of salinity, earth and general dryness mixes with equally dry dark chocolate. Lightly fruity Brett breaks through, restoring the brightness and notes of prunes, plums and raisins dot the finish. Lots of minerality and earthiness here with a big pepper character and very dry, ultra bitter Baker’s chocolate-like notes on the finish. No alcohol noted, which is impressive, though it is quite estery and very fruity. Despite the very dark bitter roasted edge, the various fruitiness helps keep it mostly balanced, though it still tends dry and bitter. Attenuation seems like it’s high, with absolutely zero fudge and even light on the caramel.
Soft, almost silky mouthfeel is malty yet very well-attenuated. Vanilla, light char/ash and lots of the baker’s chocolate from the nose create a powerful, dark, roasty base that slowly divulges light caramel and plentiful dark fruit acidity. The extremely low carbonation works wonders here, as it displaces the dryness and makes the beer seem a little softer and wetter all around. Brett adds a touch of lime zest and lightly tart acidity, but is here less pronounced than other versions of Malefactus. Peppery phenols, light minerality, earthiness and dark fruits lie on the complex finish with a gentle, barrel tannin and wheat-like texture. Again no alcohol noted, which is impressive given the extreme dryness here.

Draught at the brewery, 4/22/17.
Deep burgundy-magenta, pretty good clarity and a beige head atop showing moderate retention for the style.
With all of the grape/wine barrel going on here, you’d think this thing would be an unbalanced noseful of wine/grape character, but it’s actually nicely balanced between fruitiness from both fruit and yeast, as well as caramel and very light roast from the malts. Would imagine one of the threads is phantasma here but it’s not overly roasty/dark malt-influenced so I’d be surprised if more than one other thread was another dark ale. Earthy and mineral-rich with lots of pepper-like phenol, grapeskin and strong Brett acids adding leather and very light funk. Unlike Phantasma sour, the dark malt and sour bacteria don’t overwhelm here and you get much more of a fruity, bright, Belgian Strong Ale. No alcohol or flaw.
Big fruity bouquet in the mouth with bright grapeskin, barrel tannin, very light oak and soft caramel. It’s got a light to moderate sourness but it’s not acetic-driven and the grapes aren’t hugely dry and tannic themselves. Soft, malty texture and fine carbonation, as always, from OEC helps establish balance and light roast and earth lingers on the finish, as well as lactic acidity that keeps it quenching and zippy on the end. Quite dry for its size and all it has to balance, but the portion of older, well-lagered ale really comes through strongly, giving the beer a good minerality and integrated flavor notes overall. No alcohol or flaw.