New Belgium Love

Aroma: 9 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 9 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

Foedre 3, Sampled at the Falling Rock, GABF week 2008
The beer arrives with a hazy, orange tinged, amber hue and is topped by a light tan colored head. The aroma is very fruity and has a big, appetizing, backdrop of fruit vinegar; this last a sort of melange of apricot, rich grape, cherry and balsamic vinegars all tempered by a bracing oak character that adds lots of spiciness and a tannic wood character. The aroma is exactly what my nose was hoping for at this point.

The flavor is quite tart, with a substantial sourness to it that definitely leans towards vinegar, though the lactic character is still dominant. There is a fruity backdrop to the acidity that adds notes of apricots and sour cherries. I really am enjoying the acidity in this beer, it is a fantastic integration of softer lactic notes with a light, but sharp and expressive acetic acid character. I also really like the soft oak component that sneaks in towards the finish as well as the massive fruit character; really seems quite fruity for a beer that doesn't have any fruit in it. The acetic character in this beer is about as much as I have ever had in a beer; the fact that I have been sipping sour beers for a couple hours prior to this, really almost required something of this level of acetic character, it really helps to cut through to my palate and is very enjoyable.

This was simply a fantastic experience, I definitely am at a loss to describe this beer, but it was incredibly enjoyable and I was sad to see the last drop drain from my glass. I would love to get more of this to sample in a more singular setting, but have a feeling that if I get the chance it will be a completely different beer anyway.