Lambic - Rivertown Brewing Co.

Kelly88

Kentucky

4.33/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Had on tap at the dilly deli. Served in a snifter.

A- hazy and murky pale lemon yellow. Starts with a bright white fizzy 1 1/2 finger head that leaves lace groping the snifter.

S- sweet and sour fruit that makes for a where's Waldo like experience. Lemon juice and vinious aromas waft out of the glass with a faint hint of lacto funk.

T- sour fruit mixes with a suggestion of wood you get from an old whiskey. Lemon and lime are prominent on the finish and really deliver a nice sour kick.

M- light and smooth on the palate with pleasing and teasing carbonation (light but adequate). Sourness creates a slight pucker that is perfect for the taste. I'm going to say perfect for the style.

Overall a great sour. This is my first but I think it is really great. Sour but not so that you will clinch up like a Mormon. Feel just fits the taste and the taste is very pleasant. Time to try more sours

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2011 01:55:57 | More by Kelly88

bluejacket74

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750 ml capped and corked bottle, 2010 vintage. Served in a flute, the beer pours a hazy straw gold color with about a half inch white head. Head retention is decent, and there's a small amount of lacing. Aroma is lemon peel, oak, and some funk. It's a nice but light aroma. The brew tastes like tart apples, pears, lemon peel, vinegar, and some funk. Nice lingering tart finish. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium and it's well carbonated. I think this is a good brew, I'd buy this again in the future. Definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2011 22:54:48 | More by bluejacket74

BeerAndBourbon

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A. Pours cloudy very pale yellow with just a wisp of a white foam head.

S. A nice lemon tartness with a touch of oak.

T. Lemon tartness, oak, some barnyard mustiness, a touch of peach, and a bit of white wine.

M. Fairly thin with a high carbonation level.

D. Highly drinkable. Great on a warm summer night.

M. A good beer; certainly one of the best from Cincinnati. I wish it was a bit more full in terms of both mouthfeel and flavor. It's a decent tartness, but it should be sitting on top of a more complex background. I certainly hope they continue to refine this.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 03:47:10 | More by BeerAndBourbon

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.75/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared by TurdFurgison the other night. Thank you, Eric. I'm reviewing this as an American Wild, rather than a true unblended Lambic.

A hazy straw yellow with a dense, white head with mild lacing, this looks pretty decent. Straw, grass, hay, a little sugar, white wine and a definite cidery aroma, this smells sweet and has some light fruit character, particularly white peaches. Mildly musty and sulfury as well, and as it warms up, it takes of a definite fart-like character. The palate opens tart, scrumpy, mildly cidery and very white-wine like. Not very funky, this reminds me of Batch 1 of Brute. Clean sourness, mild sharpness and with just a hint of acetone in the back, this beer has a medium-light body and a rather high level of carbonation. Drying on the finish with straw, funk and a little fruit, this is a nice, vinous wild ale.

Despite the flaws I've mentioned in my review, I felt this beer still worked, which is why my scores are a little higher than you'd expect from the review itself.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 03:32:30 | More by DefenCorps

projectflam86

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev -4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a very clear golden color with a thick white head that leaves a bit of lace.

S- Lemon zest and funk in the nose.

T- Strong sharp tart flavor with some cider and pear coming through. Sour lemon with a bit of barnyard.

M- Light bodied with nice carbonation. Dry with a tart finish.

O- A decent brew that I'm glad I got a chance to pick up. The $13.99 price tag will probably keep me from getting it again anytime soon though.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 01:31:49 | More by projectflam86

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks TurdFurgison for opening this bottle. An Ohio Lambic, who knew?

Beer is yellow, like straw, with a diffuse white head with low retention, moderate carbonation and no lacing. Looks like a wild to me.

Aroma is sweet and bright with lactic and acetic sourness. Interesting.

There is some nice lactic sourness with an acetic brightness, mild malate and some citric too. All the players are on the table here. There is a shift here to the brightness and away from the lactic creaminess, this beer would take some sour fruit well. Overall a great attempt and I'm looking forward to other sours from these guys.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2011 21:03:18 | More by drabmuh

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewing this beer as an American Wild, not as a traditional lambic, as it would not stack up nearly as well when compared against Cantillon, 3F, etc.

Thanks to Eric for opening this bottle. Served in a Bruery tulip.

Pours a light straw-yellow color with a mild white head. The nose brings some light cheese and funk with a bit of acidity. The taste starts like a berliner with some mild grain and wheat plus a touch of acidity. Some mild peach and apricot character there. Light body and mild tartness with low carbonation. The nose brings some bready yeast as it warms. Mild acid in the finish. A really nice attempt and a solidly-drinkable brew, especially on a pretty warm evening.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 20:45:53 | More by Thorpe429

RocPorterFanatic

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a perfect straw gold, hazy and effervescent.

Very light lacing on the glass. Smell is pungent. Plenty of horse blanket here, lemon rind and ginger in the nose.

Alot of mouthwatering sourness is here in the taste. There's a crisp sour apple flavor that seems to hang on, with hints of lemon or lime pith. Very tasty.

Very dry mouthfeel, almost peppery, and very pleasing.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a Lambic done by Rivertown. I am in love with this beer. It seems to really hit the nail on the head style wise. Its very well done.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 21:41:12 | More by RocPorterFanatic

nlmartin

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer was served in a flute. I had some reservations with this beer at the start. I was thinking surely this wouldnt be a good beer. Lambic from Cincinnati who would have thought of it?

A: The color of the beers body is a bright clear golden coloration with active carbonation. The head of the beer lasted for about 30 seconds and was gone. You need to be careful pouring this beer as the bottle has a hell of a lot of sediment.

S: The aroma of the beer has alot of the expected funkyness from the yeast. Nice acidic, tart aromas combine with a bit of oak and mild fruity aromas.

T: The tartness and funkyness of the beer are not aggressive but I definitely know its there. A bit of fruityness hits my mouth about midway kind of like a cider that has been hit with berries. Nice tartness start to finish.

M- The body of the beer is light. The carbonation is active and works really well with the beers character. The acidity and tartness are really refreshing.

O: I am really impressed with this offering from Rivertown. This is a really good stab at making a very funky beer. Well done!

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 10:37:33 | More by nlmartin

Beejay

Virginia

3.65/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: A hazy grapefruit color, with some nice white head that foams like champaign, then disappears like david Copperfield. There is a good amount of yeast sediment clumping up the bottom.

S: Nice with a light fruity smell, and some good tartness. A slight hint of vinegar.

T: Tart, and clean with a nice fruity accent. Notes of vinegar and berries. Oddly there is almost a touch of popcorn in there.

M: Fairly thin, with very active carbonation. Leaves the mouth with a sour punch that coats the tongue in an almost oily way.

O: Very good overall. I am proud to see the local boys turning out styles like this. I think if it were to age a year or two it would really be somethin'.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2011 23:38:08 | More by Beejay

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle, corked and capped a la Cantillon, $11.99 in Columbus. A lambic from OH, I'm very interested to see this. From the label: "Unlike conventional ales and lagers, which are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer’s yeasts, our award winning lambic beer is instead produced by exposing it to the wild yeasts and bacterias that are native to the Senne Valley, of Brussels, Belgium. It is this unusual process involving over a year of fermentation which gives this beer its distinctive flavor: DRY, VINOUS, and CIDERY, with a crisp sour aftertaste."

This pours a hazy golden color with a thin foam that laces in splotchy clumps. Authentic aromas, softly tart with good mild funk. It tastes sour in an approachable way, hints of citrus fruits, a lasting bite. I think it tastes fantastic, definitely better than some from the authentic land (Belle-Vue in particular has earned my indifference, as has MortSubite).

Light carbonation, very appropriate mouthfeel and really drinkable. This stuff is really good, I guess I'm surprised.

This is a very nice lambic, I think it would be great if they keep some in oak for a few years so they can take a stab at gueuze in the future. It would be very cool to see this type of development in the USA, especially in OH.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2011 00:29:05 | More by TurdFurgison

mcallister

Ohio

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hmm a lambic from Cincy, Ohio. Pours a murky orange color with a small white head.

Aromas are nice, good amount of sour tart fruit qualities and a hint of oak and funk. Earthy.

Moderate sourness and funky qualities with medium carbonation. Black cherry and other red fruit flavors on the mid palate with tart fruits on the finish. Nice acidity and very nice overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 09:18:35 | More by mcallister