MN Ratebeer Winter Gathering, January 29, 2011. Alister carried this on his back all the way from Australia. Brown color. Moderate carbonation. Apple and yeast in the aroma. Sour flavor with apple, approaching, but not quite getting to lambic like territory, but combined with the sweetness of a fruit beer. interesting cheddar cheese finish. While drinking, I had no idea the abv was so high. A great fruit beer.

Seemed to have two names: the RB one and Apple Wine. Either way. Awesome stuff. Saison like cider. Sour, apple, sweet, funky. Some acidic and some sweetness. Absolutely stunning.

Hazy amber, head is just a pale ring. Low bead. Mine was under a crown seal, not a cork. Smells of mellow apples. Great balance of sweet, sour and acid. Alcohol sticks out a bit, but surprisingly little. The Dark Malted I admired more than I liked and came across as a bit of a freak show, but this is very good and is unusual rather than weird. [12/2009 3.7] This time I noticed more earthy yeast and light caramel in the aroma. The other thing - whether this is the surprise factor wearing off or me eating cheese whilst drinking it - is that behind the acid there is real depth to the sourness. [5/2010 3.9] No date on it, but a bottle I kept for a year to see how it changes - whether the sourness starts to really take over or otherwise. No head, but gentle carbonation. Drank this over a couple of nights. First night - the tartness and funk is there but faded - seems to be turning into a cider with considerable acid behind it. Mellow apples with the sweetness balanced by a dry and acidic finish. Second night it seems more beery again - the malt is more obviously there. Vanilla and sherry notes emerge. Certainly seems to have the structure for aging for some time. as is obvious from my scores, every time I’ve had this I’m more impressed. [4] Second time I’ve had this in the 500ml bottles and it seems just a little nerfed. Still quite tart beneath the lovely mellow apple sweetness, but less wild. On the other hand, no overt alcohol. Very expressive. [3.9] Leaving score as is.

Cloudy dark brown color. Sour granny apples in mouth that are somewhat harsh. Unlike the golden this doesn’t have the balance. Appley acidic finish. Decent stuff on its own, but compared the golden, it must play in the shadows. Rerate: hugely acidic, sour nose with tons of stewed, spiced apples, dark fruit and a touch of brown sugar. Sweet, acidic, full body, tons of stewed spiced apples, dark fruit, boozy, never too sweet or cloying. Perfectly balanced. So sour, so perfectly made. Honestly this is mind blowing. Tons of stewed apples in the finish. Really top class.

Cloudy, amber golden color. Apples cinammon cake exudes from a slightly acidic nose. Excellent acidity in the mouth with just the right amount of syrupiness. Alcohol is not even noticable. Lingering applish cinammon finish. The best cider I have ever had.