Bandito - Freetail Brewing Company

BarrytheBear

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle....of a 100 bottle release. Split with Milwaukeeclassic while sweating Darren Sproles vs. Tony Gonzales for all the fantasy marbles.

Pours copper with yellow highlights at the edges when held to the light. Coverage is a thin white skim and lacing is limited.

Smells similar to a Flanders with a pronounced red wine acidity.

Light on the tongue: red wine and mildly acedic vinegar notes. Finish is very dry and mostly clean, with a faint trail of lingering funk.

Carbonation is on the lower end of moderate, with miniscule bubbles appearing sporadically and lethargically.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, albeit fairly restrained, wild. I am grateful for the opportunity at such a limited bottling.

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 05:01:36 | More by BarrytheBear

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.15/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Thanks to Caleb. Pours a slightly murky copper red mahagony color with a collared white head. Cherry and some slight oak notes in the nose. Very mild aroma. Light mouthfeel with a little more carbonation that I would have liked. Slight tart cherry note that then trails off. Some bitterness in the end. Dry. Overall, it was ok.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 01:09:53 | More by kbutler1

Phelps

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by ottovon, this was poured from a bottle into my Lost Abbey stemware. Only 100 bottles of this brush honey-made beer were brewed.

Burnt umber, vary hazy. The half-finger head of light tan is fizzy, leaving craggy mountains of lace.

Bright, softly tart nose. Balsamic, deeply sweet caramel, some cherries.

The cherry syrup notes are calmer in the flavor, but there’s more balsamic and added reminders of lemon peel and brown sugar. Moderately tart.

Extremely light carbonation in a soft, medium body.

I do so love the taste of rare, but this beer would be pretty good even if they had made 10,000 bottles. Mild sourness, soft inoffensive flavors. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 21:58:24 | More by Phelps

ottovon

Arizona

4.2/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

thanks to cwolffman for sending this!

A: ruby-orange with a light brown head.

S: some sweetness. light fruit. lactic acid, strawberries and some straw. hints of oak and wine.

T: light tartness, berries, and straw. oak and vanilla with some light vinous notes.

M: thin and carbed.

O: a great beer. subtle and easy drinking. wish i had more of this.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 04:02:36 | More by ottovon

HopHead84

California

3.6/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

6/26/2011

Thanks Bobby. 100 bottles, whahooh!!!

A: Reddish orange with a small white head.

S: Grape, vanilla, a little tartness with some lactic notes. Perhaps some berry. Pretty mellow. Light vinegar presence.

T: Lightly tart with lactic dark fruit notes. A little oak and vanilla. Mellow flavor as well. Sourness is mostly clean, but there's a little mustiness accompanying the fruit and lactic notes.

M: Smooth and creamy mouthful. Slightly sticky. Medium body with moderate carbonation.

Overall: An enjoyable, easy drinking sour. Restrained and no super strong attributes, but I can't really fault it and I find myself nodding my head and thinking, "I could have another glass of this if the opportunity presented itself." There's no acetone. That's a good thing.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 05:16:07 | More by HopHead84

Overlord

California

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to a very generous Torino.

Pours a light brown with an inch or so of light tan head.

Smells, and tastes, lightly of unidentifiable acidic/fruit sourness, a bit of funk (just a hint), and a surprisingly mineral-esque zesty finish.

Nicely carbonated. Accessible. A gentle introduction. I'm curious what the base beer is.

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2011 03:06:30 | More by Overlord

womencantsail

California

3.88/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing this one, Bobby.

A: The beer pours a cloudy amber color with a finger of off-white head.

S: Not a super intense nose, but what's there is good. Moderate tartness with some nice fruit notes. I get pears, apples, and a touch of white grape. A little bit of sweetness and a very mild grassy funk.

T: The flavor has a bit more substance to it, thankfully. Decent acidity and funk with lemon, light fruits and some wet straw and grass. A touch musty and a nice pear and apple flavors.

M: Medium in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: Another beer that might be a good "beginner" sour. Not overly impressive, but good.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2011 17:21:30 | More by womencantsail

champ103

Texas

3.45/5  rDev -15%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A big thanks to Dajtai007 for hooking me up with a bottle.

A: Pours a dark reddish/brown color. Nearly opaque. At first a two finger beige head forms, but quickly recedes to a ring that sticks throughout. Light lace is left behind.
S: Tart and acidic fruits. Kind of a nondescript fruity aroma. Tartness is nice, but not enough. I wish more wood and vinous character would come out.
T: Follows the nose with a very simple tart fruity flavor. Some sweetness, and a strange kind of tobacco leaf flavor lingers. Again, I wish there was more of a barrel presents here.
M/D: A medium body that is well carbonated, crisp, and clean. Easy to drink. I will finish this without a problem.

I do like this, another well done beer from Freetail. Though I would really like some more wood and barrel character to come out. Still, very much worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 20:50:49 | More by champ103

xpimptastikx

Texas

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a burnt orange copper, white 1 cm head, light webbing with a ring that lingers.

S - When it's cold the cherry and a light vinegar dominate, as it warms oak and sweet toffee from the malts come out.

T - Cherry, oak, yeasty funk, and nice malt finish.

M/D - Medium carbonation and a dry finish are perfect for this beer. A nice sour to sweet transition makes this beer very easy to drink, I finished the bomber in an hour.

Ananke and Fortuna Roja were ok, but seemed pretty one dimensional to me. This and Woodicus have definitely stepped up in overall complexity. This is a similar beer to some Flander Reds and it's great.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2011 01:03:34 | More by xpimptastikx

jamescain

Texas

4.43/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a sniffer.

Appearance: Deep orange-red with a thin white head that fades into a ring around the glass.

Aroma: Sour cherries, oak, grapefruit, citrus and acidity.

Taste: Sour all the way through with grapefruit, citrus, and cherry notes.

Mouthfeel: If I had anything negative to say it would be that I feel it's a touch over carbonated and It kind of takes away from the body and the taste of the beer. Dry acidic finish.

Overall: This is probably my second favorite sour they have made to date. It's complex, sour and refreshing.

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2011 16:17:48 | More by jamescain

elNopalero

Texas

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From my notes: Pours ruddy, auburn-colored. Initial impression is that its very tart, very acidic, harsh, almost. Tart nose and tart palate. There’s a sharpness to this that is balanced by the carbonation. It’s a sour, but as it warms it surprises with a wonderful sweetness that develops. Wow!

Serving type: on-tap

08-31-2011 19:19:57 | More by elNopalero

OakedCanuck

Washington

4.2/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Freetail. Served in snifter like glass

A - Appears as a dark amber to copper colour. Off-white 1 finger head that leaves minor lacing.

S - Tart fruits, caramel, some pepper, sugar candy

T - A distinct sour cherry flavour. The sourness is very well profiled and it was not over the top sour, awesome. Oak, lemon, caramel and pepper were also noted.

M - Puckering but not overly, sticky

O - I thought this was a great sour. It wasn't too tart and would appeal to a broader range of drinkers (i.e. people new to sours). Great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-08-2011 20:58:36 | More by OakedCanuck

bisonkron

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - deep/dark copper in color. thin white head that fades quickly. the lacing is thin but really sticks. carbonation is there but a bit low.

S - There are strong sour cherry notes. The malts are there but not prominent. Its got a nice sweetness there as well.

T - the sourness really pops while it is still somewhat chilled. Its mouth puckering half way though the glass. There are great cherry and oak flavors that start to come out near the end, as it warms. A bit of caramel/malty nots on the finish.

M/D - Low carbonation but still there which really makes it great, very dry, which was great.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2011 17:13:12 | More by bisonkron

Mora2000

Texas

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a sour version of Outlaw McCaw.

On tap during the recent bottle release of Bandito and Woodicus. This was one of five sours on tap at the event.

The beer pours a copper orange color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the toffee along with some sour cherry notes. The flavor is more of the same. I get some juicy sour cherries along with a little bit of funk. There is also some nice toffee and caramel notes in the beer. The beer is very dry and easy to drink. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2011 04:35:35 | More by Mora2000