What: A Cross-Atlantic Wild Ale - cuvee from Somerset Wild Ale w/ Candied Violets, a Golden Raspberry beer, and Cowbell. [Batch 1; Bottled 6/25/15; 5.5% ABV]

How we Had it: Out of a 375 ml Barrelworks bottle into a Firestone Walker Barrelworks Teku.

What we Saw: Golden orange - like the skin of a tangerine. One finger of foam quickly fades to a ring around the glass. Bubbles rise from the bottom of the glass and remain throughout the entire experience. An inviting beer.

What we Smelled: Tart berries and citrus jump out of the glass with a light funk in the background (which is reminiscent of wet earth and grass or hay). A beautiful multi-layered nuanced aroma which evolves throughout the experience. As the beer warms the berries become more pronounced with a slight brett funk rounding out the aroma.

What we Tasted: Tart fresh raspberries on the front of the palette on a really sturdy and dry backbone. A highly carbonated beer with a medium body and a nice mouthfeel. Incredibly refreshing and mouthwatering. A nice progression occurs on your palette as you drink the beer - tart/sour turns to funk which turns to fruity berry and an interesting sweet citrus, like a tangerine on the finish. An incredibly complex beer which evolves as the beer warms. The tartness sensed up front lingers on the palette and livens the beer. For me, it hit the sweet spot about ten minutes after being poured into the glass. The fruitiness becomes more pronounced while maintaining a nice sour tartness at the forefront.

What we Thought: This is a really interesting, refreshing, and complex beer. What I love about well done collaborations is that the identity of each brewery comes through just enough to display the unique character and style of each. There is definitely a different identity to this beer than the other Barrelworks offerings I've had the opportunity to try, yet that nice lactic sour character found in beers like Sour Opal let you know they had a part in creating this great beer. While other Barrlelworks beers display an almost cheesy funk - this beer has more of a clean fruity sour character. It's a great beer to enjoy alone as different aromas and flavor profiles will emerge throughout the experience. There's also a really great balance between the different flavor profiles which really give a sense of purpose to the beer. No one flavor or aroma outshines the other and the body of the beer is a perfect vessel for the different flavor profiles presented. Well worth seeking this one out as only 380 cases were made. Enjoy this one with a variety of seafood and some bleu cheese. Really enjoyed this one!