Spike & Jérôme’s Cuvée Délirante (Collaboration Ale) - BFM Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes

cavedave

New York

4.03/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Big thanks to BulbMan for yet another stupefyingly yummy beer!

Not a pretty beer, but not terrible for a barleywine. Little carbonation, and a cloudy reddish brown, almost turbid. A swirl leaves some bubbly legs.

Strawberry jam, cider vinegar, raisins, candi, tart yeast, vanilla, and rumcake. Delicious aroma, not what I thought it would be, but it has my saliva glands activating juicily.

Perhaps this is a historic recreation of an EBW, sure not like any I know. It starts with tart yeast, sour fruit, raisins and figs, some light vinegar to it, maybe a bit of wood and vanilla, just a hint of hoppy bitter in there. Sip ends with the tart and sweet elements combining in a wonderful and delicious balance. Alcohol is completely hidden, as well as any beer I've tried. 12%? You must be kidding!!

Very thick, yet easy drinking, interesting and clean flavor profile, very low carb., and a decent, juicy finish.

What an excellent surprise waiting in this growler. Doubtful you will see this one, but if you do go for it, it is a walk on the wild (and delicious) side.

Serving type: growler

12-15-2011 22:10:26 | More by cavedave

oberon

North Carolina

3.15/5  rDev -12%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a tulip glass a murky russett brown with no head to speak of at all,not the most glamerous pour by any means here.A mix of sour and dark fruits dipped in rum in the nose,a little underlying cake to it as well.In some ways its like an English barleywine with its deep dark frutiness and cakey notes,but the rye gives a lactic somewhat spicey finish that doesnt seem to match well with other elements of the beer.Not my cup of tea here but its not really bad,I just dont care for the finished product much.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2011 21:45:52 | More by oberon

avalon07

South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a brownish color and a thick, murky consistency. There wasn't really any head to speak of. Same with the lacing.

S: A sharp, surprisingly sour smell of hops, malt, caramel and a vinegary quality.

T: Tasted of caramel, malt, hops, and a sour quality you don't normally find in this style of beer. An interesting flavor that is good, but not quite all there.

M: This beer needs some carbonation. It has a smooth finish and a medium body.

O: This wasn't my favorite beer, but it wasn't terrible either. An interesting little experiment.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 14:25:28 | More by avalon07

atis

Finland

4.25/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

330 ml bottle from the brewery. It says 10.02% ABV on the bottle, as opposed to 12% on kegged versions.

Pours oily dark brown, no head, no lacing. Aroma is balsamic vinegar, fruit, bits of rum, grain.

Taste starts with fruity sweetness, immediately followed by sour vinegar, sweet and sour balance each other out perfectly. There is a subtle presence of rum. Semi-dry finish and long lasting sourish boozy aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium with very low carbonation.

Excellent. Certainly will go to the shop to buy a couple more bottles for ageing.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 20:56:44 | More by atis

MacQ32

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +24.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

"In February, a monumental collaboration was taking place at Switzerland’s Brasserie Des Franches-Montagnes. Terrapin’s own Spike Buckowski had traveled there to brew a unique barleywine with BFM’s Jerome Rebetez. The beer would consist of 20% rye malt, finish at over 12% ABV and be aged in rum barrels!" Thank you Charleston Beer Exchange!

**I really love sour things but I've never liked wild or sour beers, it is literally the only kind of beer that I cannot get into. I try to review and rate beers keeping an open mind and keeping my reviews relative to the style so I am doing my best to relate it to other wild ales/barley wines. It is hard for me to really enjoy these so I am not the best judge with barley wines/sours**

**After 2 of these and after allowing the beer to warm to would I would guess to be ~50 F I need to come back and adjust my ratings, less funk, more sweet malts/sugars and a mild hop bitterness as well**

A - Pours a muddied brown with moderate caramel colored head (poured aggressively)which dissipates fairly quickly, some lacing left behind as I enjoy.

S - Boozy sour vinegar and caramel for the most part some sweet darker fruits and rum also come through

T - Sour vinegar flavors, caramel, dark fruits (raisins, dates, prunes), semi tart, red wine. a little too funky of a finish for me. I am picking up more sweet tootsie roll like notes and less funk as it continues.

M - Medium to fullish bodied, not as heavy as I would expect at 12.03%. Mild carbonation, a little thick on the pallet

O - Overall, I dont really care for sour ales. That being said, there are several qualities that I do enjoy and appreciate in this beer, the funkyness isn't too overwhelming although its less than desirable to me. I would imagine if you like sour beers this would be a real treat.

Serving type: growler

10-26-2011 22:45:31 | More by MacQ32

Viciousknishs

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- pours a tawny burgandy color with absolutely zero head.

S- starts of with a toffee like malt profile with note of dark fruit. Rum characteristics really shine with a touch of spice and a hint of sugar cane. Slight basalmic vinegar sour notes with a huge spicy toasty oak finish. For 12% the alchohol is hidden beautifully.

T- big toffee malt with a touch of sweetness at first. Big spicy oak rum barrel knocks out the sweetness like Mike Tyson in super punch out leaving a spicy toasty flavor with a hint of basalmic sour. Finishes with a peppery bitterness, rye spiciness and long lasting oakiness.

MF- slick oily mouthfeel that is a bit thin for a barleywine. Almost no carbonation with an average body.

D- great complexity a real headscratcher. The drinkability for the ABV is down right great.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 03:53:08 | More by Viciousknishs