Ballast Point Hout Ont Moet Beer (Unblended)

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 7

Sampled on tap at the First Annual Stone Sour Fest, July 2007
Lightly hazy, with a copper tinted color. It is topped by a wispy light tan colored head. The aroma makes me think immediately of oak barrels and Bourbon; notes of vanillin, buttery oak, spicy wood are all quite dominant and noticeable up front. If you really dig around in the aroma you can sense a tart, aromatic note floating around underneath the dominant notes (seems lactic accented). The nose is just too Bourbon focused; I want more sour funk to be able to come through.

The flavor is quite tart up front and even makes one completely forget the Bourbon barrel note until after the first sip has slipped down the my gullet; then one notices notes of soft buttery oak, touches of hot Bourbon (though overall it is fairly smooth) and some almost tooth coating tannic notes. The barrel & Bourbon character melds much better in the flavor than in the aroma. It is interesting that the Barrel character somehow tempers the sour flavors and definitely it adds a palate coating character & fullness to the body that would not otherwise beer here. This is tasty, but too unbalanced in the end, though it almost pulls off the marriage of barrel and sour notes in the flavor at least.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

sampled at the pizza port strong ale fest 2005. rdidish color, nice flavors mainly tart with a clean finish

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Pours with a red body topped by a medium thick head with a good amount of lacing. It’s sour and tart with a slihgt underlying blackberry sweetness and a touch of horseblanket. Medium bodied and dry.