Count down to....

It is 2 days till the 25th. For many people it means Christmas day. For myself, it is the day I am leaving for Europe for beer and fun. We will be going to Amsterdam, Brugge, and Paris. The fiancee and I wanted to clear out some of the great beers in our fridge before we left so tonight we got out one we had been sitting on and waiting for a special occasion. That beer is called Isabelle Proximus. This was a pricey one when it was released. It was $30 a bottle but is produced in such small quantaties that it makes sense. Only 150 cases were made.

It is a collaboration between five of America’s best craft brewers – Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey, Adam Avery of Avery Brewing, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River, and RobTod of Allagash – Isabelle was created from a common base beer to which each brewery contributed a yeast strain and barrels for aging. After 16 months in oak, the beers were blended to create the final product.

On to the tasting.

Poured from a Bottle into a tulip glass

• Appearance - Pours a golden pear color with a white thin head.


• Smell - This one is pungent. It smells very acidic and sour. There is a definite funky smell to it with hints of apples, cherries and other fruits.


• Taste - The first thing you notice when you take a drink is that it makes you pucker up. It is intensely sour but not overpowering. There are lots of fruit flavors happining in this one as well as funky yeast taste. You can also taste hints of oak.


• Mouthfeel - Slick and crisp. This is almost as dry as champagne


• Drinkability -Not for the faint at heart. If you have not had sour/wild ales before I highly suggest this not be your first. If you like sours you will be rewarded.


• Rating = A+

If you are a fan of sours I would highly recommend that you try to get yourself a bottle of this beer. It is one of my favorite sours ales and I wish I had more. I do have one in the cellar and hope to do a review on it after it has aged some more. If you can score this at $40 a bottle consider it a great Christmas gift to yourself!

Cheers!

Cromster