Reddish-orange, hazy; good pinkish fine and dense head. Cherries and old wine just JUMPING out of the glass, unbelievably inviting, bit of yoghurt, lots of old vintage-year Bourgogne (Burgundy). Sour, cherries, vanilla, velvety Bretts as in the best of gueuzes with an retronasal flavour of, once more, aged Bourgogne. Point of lactic acid, fruit acids and oak (see the vanilla). Velvety, rich, fiery and yoghurt MF. One word. WAA-UUWW. This is the closest to real lambic-based beer I’ve ever tasted from abroad, and actually it can rank amongst the best of the Belgian ones. BIG THANKS to Logan Perkins for sending me this gem.

Numerous, numerous, numerous samples at the ABF on 6/17/2005. A chill-hazed, unfiltered, sparkling copper-gold, with some bright orange/peach tones, small bubbles rising and a large, persistent, thick-looking white head. Lacing is present. Aroma of tropical fruits to the max, sweet crystally/caramelly malts, though more sugars than toasted notes. Sweet, fresh, juicy oranges, honey dough and a very floral bitterness. Full and lasting is the aroma. Flavor begins with a burst of tropical fruits, juicy, fresh, full of flavor and complexity. Peaches, mangoes, pineapples, blood oranges, kiwis, tangerines and only light pininess. Wow. The beer is flawlessly, IMHO, balanced with malt and hops bitterness. In fact, I’d say there’s much more apparent hops flavor than bitterness. No syrupy, resinous, sharp, acidic bitter notes to make you cringe on the end. The flavors smoothly transition between hops and malt and then back again without you even realizing it. On the finish, I detect more floral notes from the hops, with a mint-like herbal character, subtle earthy green hops notes and just a lip-smacking malt sweetness. Full body, with just a shade of alcohol on the end, giving a touch of belly-warming. Creamy texture, low carbonation; the liquid tickles the tongue and you can almost taste the fuzzy hops which make this beer so delicious. Wow. I don’t care for double IPAs, let alone beers that call themselves a triple IPA, but this is just marvelous. A real dedication to balance, unlike some others I know, *cough* Devil Dancer *cough*. Cheers Vinnie, keep em coming!!!

Opaque golden - it has that nectar look to it. Say what you want about Vinnie’s beers - they are beautiful to look at. The aroma is bretty, corky, and highly vinous - the most directly winey nose since Stille Nacht Reserva. The flavour is slightly toasty, highly vinous with a puckeringly tart finish. There is a bit of astringency at the back. Leathery, fairly tart finish. Firm pale malts and alcohol support the effort throughout. Kick ass.

A vertical of this in June 2012 revealed a malty, sour Batch 2, with as much barrel as fruit, and an almost austere tartness. Batch 3 was toasty, a bit woody and with just a slight tartness. The fruit was starting to drop out. Batch 4 was fairly clean with the acid, and with balanced fruitiness. Seemed in its prime. Batch 5-2 was fresh, tart, fruity, and stil a little bit yeasty. Batch 5-5 was the weakest of the bunch, malty, not very lively at all. A dud, if you will. Of the 5, the Batch 4 and Batch 5-2 were my favourites.

Preview bottle courtesy Vinnie Cilurzo. Vibrant reddish-amber colour, with clouds. Orange-peach esters share the aroma with brettanomyces, leather and big Pinot Noir character. The flavour is less voluptuous, but still pretty good with vinous notes and a hit of sweet cherry a la NGBR. Fruity, balanced and unique. Aging in wine barrels is definitely something I approve of - the flavours meld so naturally with estery beer styles. re-rate: I’d orignially given this beer a 4.0 but every time I’ve had it since I would have scored it higher. Drinking it this morning is yet another heavenly Supplication experience...time to elevate the score on this one.