Bullfrog Beekeeper

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

Very well carbonated, it even starts to foam over after I let it sit for a little too long. A careful pour into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip produces a four-finger thick, light tan colored head. The head leaves some spotty lacing as it recedes and also creates a bit of a varied, structural surface as it slowly falls. The beer is a murky, dark plum color (a mix of purple tinged amber notes) that shows a deep haze and a reddish hue when held up to the light. The aroma is definitely tart as this is noticeable even as I am pouring the beer. A deeper inspection yields wine like notes of soft oak, berry-like fruit notes and funky Brettanomyces character. Barnyard funk and sweat-dried horse-blanket notes abound. The funk mixes nicely with spicy wood notes a hint of buttery oak and a sort of peppery malt character. The funk becomes the most noticeable part of the aroma, but underneath it are notes of fruity cider and spicy pepper aromas. The oak becomes more noticeable after a bit with more buttery notes and a nice spicy oak character, both at times rivaling the funk.

Fairly thick bodied still, almost creamy except for the peppery carbonation and amply spicy oak character that really offsets the almost medium mouthfeel. Tart tasting up front, though not aggressively so, this accents wine-like berry notes that really stick to the palate. Touches of warming, even hot alcohol comes out at times; this is accentuated by lots of spicy oak notes and the pepper fermentation / carbonation character. Musty, phenolic soaked cotton balls, methanol and other funky notes abound. A very spicy brew, the oak and fermentation character really accentuates this quite a bit.

Amazingly wine-like in many ways; the oak is perhaps a little too much, but this, coupled with the big, jam-like, berry flavors makes for quite an interesting, wine-like brew. Of course this is not all that is going on as the tartness and funk is a really nice component as well. Not as complex as I look for in my funky brews; really it is the oak that might get in the way of this. This is still a very good beer and is quite tasty, but the oak is just a touch too much here for this to achieve greatness in my mind. Still I find it very easy to finish this 750ml bottle of beer, despite the obvious alcohol effect; this last was huge as this beer is far stronger than I was expecting it to be.