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

thagr81us

South Carolina

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

Big thanks goes out to my doppelganger for sharing this one while sitting by the pool in the recent 100+ °F weather! Served from bottle into a shaker. Poured a murky reddish brown with a minimal off-white head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, tart, tart cherries, fruit, wood, subtle vanilla, and alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, tart, tart cherries, fruit, wood, and alcohol. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. I was really taken back by the tartness going on here as I was not expecting it to be there at all. It did however blend in fairly well with the other aspects of the beer that were to be found here. One of my gripes is that the alcohol definitely made itself known early and didn't let you forget it was there after each sip. But the tartness did help to balance this out some however. Definitely worth trying if you get the chance and like a little well balanced tartness in your beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-02-2012 11:13:24 | More by thagr81us

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Comes out of the tap an opaque warm mahogany with a thin, light tan, fine-bubbled head. Woody aroma has crisp, sour fruity and subtle malty tones. Flavor has strong woody and sour apple notes with an undertone of malt, banana and caramel. Texture has average body and a fair amount of fizz, leaving a fruity, tingly and slightly woody finish.

Serving type: on-tap

10-22-2011 18:59:49 | More by Cyberkedi

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

3.8/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I've had this beer twice now thanks to Darrell and Michael.

The beer appears murky and dark brown / ruby in color. The head is nonexistent. The beer appears still. The aroma offers booze, wood, sour cherries, malt, yeast,a bit of funk. I like the flavor. Complex and tasty, with sour, funky cherries and oak leading the charge. A nice mix of sweet and sour. Light in body and devoid of carbonation, though it fits this beer pretty well. Tannic in nature with a bit of a sharp, harsh alcohol burn in the throat at the conclusion of every sip. Still, overall, this was intriguing and enjoyable, albeit in small quantities.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 18:46:16 | More by Huhzubendah

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

gford217

Georgia

3.6/5  rDev +0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

375ml flip top bottle.

Pours a murky reddish amber with very little head, just some bubbles around the edges which recede quickly.

Aroma is tart cherries and rum with some spicy rye and more than a dose of lactic acid in the nose. I don't get much barleywine notes, more like a sour.

I'm a little unsure how to review this with reference to barleywines. It's got lots of vinegar sourness and some tart cherries up front with lots of rum and oak.

The mouthfeel is flat with no carbonation and typical of other BFM beers I've had. Lots of wood and more port-like than beer-like in terms of feel.

Well, this is one of the more unique examples of a barleywine I've ever tasted and it tastes much more like a sour brown than any barleywine I've had. In that respect I think it's a solid beer just not comparable to a barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2012 04:12:16 | More by gford217

kylehay2004

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: very murky. Brown with red hues. No head really.

S: vinegar and some apricot and raisin.

T: starts with apricot, salty, bitter and chardonnay like and finishes woody

M: moderate to high carbonation and medium body.

Overall: this one is hard to drink. Strange beer as expected from bfm, not really terrapin like.

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 11:33:00 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

4.4/5  rDev +22.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - Pours with a minimal head of off white foam on a hazy, dark brown body. Light lace as the beer is consumed.

S - Caramel, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar.

T - Dry caramel, balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce up front. Some more sour caramel in the middle with salty molasses. A more Flemish red like sweet and sour dynamic in the finish with lingering caramel and meaty spice notes.

M - Medium thick body, moderately low carbonation and a slightly sweet finish.

D - Really strange (especially for something involving terrapin), complex and great. It has a lot of odd flavors, but they work well together in ways that are hard to express. I used a lot of unpleasant sounding descriptors in my review, but I mean it in the best way possible. This is very odd, but good beer that has a lot more BFM than Terrapin in it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-30-2011 03:29:30 | More by nickfl

champ103

Texas

1.7/5  rDev -52.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

A: Pours a murky, dirty looking reddish/brown color. A tiny bubbly beige head forms, but recedes in a second. Not lace, and looks lifeless.
S: Buttery diacetyl and acidic fruits intermingle which makes the nose unattractive.
T: Follows the nose, but much more revved up. Full on buttery malt/popcorn/diacetyl. Mix that with a cringing sourness/acidic quality. Plenty of alcohol as well. Blah.
M/D: Syrupy, flat, and lifeless. To much alcohol, and just plan hard to drink.

Wow, this is plain bad. Most everything else I have had from BFM is amazing. This is a drain pour though. Avoid.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 03:17:16 | More by champ103

woosterbill

Connecticut

2.85/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

33cl swingtop into a medium-sized Duvel tulip. Thanks to Chris for sharing this oddity.

A: Cloudy mahogany body; only a few bubbles. Meh.

S: Intense. Heavy acetic acid, as well as some vanilla, rum, and rye. Sourness dominated, but it's still pretty complex. Weird, but not unappealing.

T: Sourness absolutely destroys everything else, with some weir, bitter, almost bile-like grossness along with it. Not good at all.

M: Medium body, light carbonation. Average at best.

O: This one sounded like it had great potential, but the vinegar funk just obliterated everything else in the end. Not recommended.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 01:16:21 | More by woosterbill

tdm168

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the US Edition brewed and bottled by Terrapin.

A - dark opaque amber with little head

S - bourbon barrels, baked apples, sugar, vanilla, wood

T - brown sugar, wood, caramel, baked apples, faintly bitter, vanilla, alcohol

M - full bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This is a full flavored, complex barleywine. Each flavor appears as an individual at first. As the beer warms there is a little cohesion and balance that comes about. In the end, it's a nice barleywine, but I'm not sure it's one I would try again. It was definitely well worth trying once though.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2012 02:08:04 | More by tdm168

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on tap at Mugs Alehouse in Brooklyn, NY

A: Pours a slightly cloudy/hazy deep red, almost purple in color which is very similar to wine. The beer had absolutely no head and no lacing was observed.

S: The aroma was all very intense sourness and funk with just the most subtle spicy hints (from the rye).

T: There was a surprising sourness that I did not expect from this style of beer. The beer had some hints of spice and some pretty intense vinous notes (bordering on the wine/vinegar boundry). Very tart in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation.

O: Very surprising beer - did not expect the sourness, funkiness, or the tartness but I enjoyed all three in this. There was no alcohol presence that I could detect but it was not a real easy drinker.

Serving type: on-tap

03-12-2012 02:25:19 | More by dbrauneis

ngeunit1

California

4.15/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Served a cloudy red color with a touch of brown and very little head and no lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of sour cherries, oak, vanilla, and a bit of booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of sour and tart cherries with some oak and vanilla in the background. Through the middle, some more sourness comes through alongside some caramelized malts and some light booze. The sourness mellows a bit as the beer finishes with some more oak coming through.

M - Medium bodied with mild carbonation. Feels smooth with a tart and sour finish.

D - Very drinkable. Nice sourness and tartness from the cherry. Could have used a touch more body and carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2012 22:34:45 | More by ngeunit1

oline73

Maryland

3.45/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I had this on-tap at Max's. Poured into a sample glass.

Appearance: Pours a reddish cloudy dark amber. Looks rather murky with no head to speak of.

Smell: Very vinegary, reminds me a bit of malt vinegar. Mildly sweet from the grain with some fruity notes as well.

Taste: Super vinegary with fruit notes and malt. The finish is extremely bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with hardly any carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: The fruit notes were good in this beer, but I thought the vinegar notes were a bit strong. A good sour, and very interesting, but I don't think I'd go back again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-20-2011 02:14:01 | More by oline73

maximum12

Minnesota

1/5  rDev -72.1%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Awww shit. Bought this off the shelf here in Georgia on a whim & scanning the reviews, it sounds like this might be sour...well, nothing to do but hope. 11.4 oz. swing-top.

Cool bottle. I release the metal & it exhales before the rubber stopper is even cracked. Yikes. Heading to sink now. But no, not even a whimper of head. Looks like red wine vinegar; kinda smells like it too. No. Almost exactly like it.

Spike & Jerome's Cuvee Delirante should have been strangled in the cradle. Heavy sour tang, red vinegar up the nose, with a tiny wisp of rum & some kind of beer right at the end.

Brewers: if you're going to brew sour shit, put the word SOUR on the label somewhere; you're going to end up in hell for calling things like this a "barleywine". Dammit. This just pisses me off. Unfuckingdrinkable. It makes me sorry I just dropped money on another Terrapin beer, & I won't touch anything from these other characters.

Possibly the Worst Beer Ever.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 01:51:20 | More by maximum12

Chaney

District of Columbia

3/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Whew, I had trouble finding the record for this one on BA.

Served in a Cigar City snifter.

A: Poured a caramel brown color, with only a slight whispy head that even poured that way. Usually BA Barleywines aren't about the head they produce.

S: Very, very faint smell of melted Jolly Rancher, oak, and maybe a hint of candi sugar. Nothing overpowering or groundbreaking here.

T: Kinda wet carboard-like actually. One-dimensional would be an understatement. I got processed caramel, grains, and only a hint of oak... which didn't do a very good job covering up the booze.

M: The booziest English BW I've tried in a while BY FAR. They really need to go back to the drawing board on this one. Sure, it was thick enough, but I didn't care after a while. The lacing was minimal as was the carbonation.

O: Not quite bad enough to be a drain pour, but damn near bland enough to be one.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 23:19:39 | More by Chaney

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky brown/red with no head at all. No lace.

Some bruised fruit, some dark maltiness. But this is very limited in the nose. Some wood? Some light vanilla?

Shocker how tart this is, with good depth behind it. Sour throughout, but the rightness is nice. Malt, some bruised fruit, alcohol, and stone fruit pit bitterness as the palate clears. Cool complexity here.

Medium bodied. A little loose. Dead still. A bit of fizz would have been nice. Acidic.

Overall, a cool one to try. Much more of a sour than an English Barleywine -- but hard to classify. Not for the faint of heart or those who really are focused upon a single style of beer. This one threw me for a loop, but I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2012 23:22:08 | More by OtherShoe2

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.55/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 3.5

33cl swing-top.

It pours a dark brown with just the slightest bubbly head.

The smell is nice. Good barrel notes with some vanilla. There are dark vinous fruits with some sourness. It isn't too funky, just acidic in the smell.

The mouthfeel is thick and ever so lightly carbonated. The flavor is dark fruits, some toastiness, balsamic vinegar, leather, rum. This one is pretty complex and easily would scare off the average person.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2012 02:42:42 | More by crossovert

Bung

North Carolina

2.2/5  rDev -38.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Little flip top. Nearly becalmed, thick apple cider brown pour.

Aroma, there is some faint sour here. Check that, pretty potent vinegar. Faint caramel behind it.

Taste, Cider and red wine vinegar. There is more oaky malt here, but not much more. Some sherry. Faint cocoa finish, but the vinegar lingers.

It's pretty heavy, nice for a barleywine, but there is not enough carbonation for the sour ale it is. Alcohol is pretty well hidden. I struggled with this little bottle, but if you like and are ready for a sour, this might be nice.

Not undrinkabe, though nearly. More like something you could get from Russian River, like some sort of wild ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:25:44 | More by Bung

jsanford

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Redlight Redlight in Orlando.

Poured a ruddy reddish-brown with a creamy beige head. Aromas of red wine vinegar, caramel , brown sugar, and oak dominate. Reminds me of a Barleywine that went sour in the barrel, this is a great blend of a caramel-toffee Barleywine with a vinegar-leather-oak Flanders Oud Bruin. Taste follows suit nicely, pleasantly tart and dry, much like a Flanders offering, with sweet caramel malt and vanilla. Mouthfeel is slightly creamy, with a medium body and crisp carbonation. Definitely not feeling the ~12% ABV, I'm really surprised to see it was that high! Overall a real treat, glad I got to try it.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 16:40:03 | More by jsanford

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

33cl swing-top bottle poured into a snifter glass.

Pours a glazey, syrupy, translucent dark reddish-brown. Absolutely no head. None. Two or three bubbles along the edge hint that this might have once been carbonated. Looks stagnant and thick. Absolutely coats the inside of the glass when agitating, but no legs form. Pretty ridiculous.

Big sour nose with smacks of vinegar, oakiness from the barrel aging, sour apple/pucker, sweetness of alcohol (perhaps the rum?), a little funky; aromas not dissimilar to an American Wild--aromas unbecoming of any kind of a barleywine (I'm sure that big malt backbone will come through in the taste). No need to fret, I saw this coming; the descriptions said so, and I can read. And, to be honest, it smells pretty delicious.

Okay, either I have an infected bottle, or this is one of the top three strangest beers I have ever had in my life. Alright, check this out... very thin taste with an emphasis on the rye malts used. The barrel aging is there, sort of, but strangely enough the alcohol is not. Like, at all. It's almost gone. I know that seems impossible. It's extremely smooth, but thin. Okay, I'm going back and smelling it again and I'm getting a lot of bitter liqueur, like Campari or Bitter Kas (for those who know what I mean by that). Back to the taste, again. It's warming up. The malt is getting bigger, and there is glimpses of the alcohol. Very vinous, like a full-bodied uber-dry red wine. I want to give it at least a 3.0, but... I just can't. I'm seriously speechless. I kind of like the way this tastes. I wonder if my other bottle is different.

Way thick, not sticky, but glossy and thick. It doesn't feel bad for being full-bodied, but very strange for having no carbonation. This is off in some sort of way.

Overall, I'm enjoying drinking something so off-balance and wacky. I don't like calling this a barleywine or a 'barleyryne' or whatever. For a different style, I'd rate it higher. It's not that I dislike this beer, it's just way off-style and... just off (still not counting out the possibility of infection here). Not a drain-pour by any means, actually I like working on this one. I just can't put this one at average.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 02:40:53 | More by thecheapies

Dope

Massachusetts

2.2/5  rDev -38.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Interesting beer. A "Barley Ryne" according to the bottle. 1/3 aged in rum barrels too. This is definitely a first.

A: A rusty dark brown/red color. Literally no head, just a smattering of bubbles around the edges. No lacing or retention of course.

S: Pretty boozy rum up front. Some heavy molasses in there. I don't really know how to describe what I'm smelling, this is totally unique. It's similar to dark vermouth in a way, a sort of herbal aroma but almost wine-ish. Maybe some sherry? Very strong, sharp and boozy but not altogether unpleasant. I'm honestly scared to taste this one.

T: Tastes like red wine with a little bit of rum added. And there's just a touch of rye. Then some old apple cider. Very sour at the same time. What the?

M: Almost totally flat, otherwise thick, borderline syrupy. Drying.

O: I'm not really sure what to say here. The complete lack of carbonation really hurts it for sure. Tastes more like a wine or a mead than a beer. A bad one at that. I had a stomach ache after just drinking a few ounces and poured it out. Hard to say if it's infected or intentional, the other reviews all point to it not being an accident though. Definitely wins the award for the craziest beer I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 06:31:26 | More by Dope

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 1.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

330 mL swing top bottle poured into a Kate the Great snifter.

Appearance - Murky brown pond water with no carbonation. A small collection of bubbles from a very vigorous pour, but that's most likely not being released from this beer... I don't know how this could look any less appetizing. 1.5 may be a generous rating.

Smell - Fascinating and complex. Rum, vinous red wine characteristics. Certainly smells acidic. Oak and some malt comes through, but it's definitely secondary.

Taste - This took a while to grow on me. I initially wanted to dump it. Acidic red wine, tannins, and oak really permeate every other flavor. But deep inside is a decent beer. The rum is lost in the taste, unfortunately. Light caramel and toffee persist. Some earthiness in the finish. Very interesting, but slightly difficult to drink.

Mouthfeel - Flat. Not an easy beer to drink. This will take me a long time. Not really thick, but acidic and a little bit astringent.

Overall - This is tough to review. Insanely complex and fascinating flavors, not all of which are easy to consume. The sourness adds and detracts at the same time. Reminds me a lot of Billy the Mountain, another beer that is incredible and difficult at the same time. Very BFM.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 03:03:13 | More by Alieniloquium

DCon

Missouri

4.13/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bought a 11.4 FL. OZ. - 33cl bottle of this from the Thirsty Monk in Asheville, NC for $14.99. Poured from the Swingtop Corked bottle w/ both the Terrapin Turtle & BFM Lizard on the front of the label into a Shaker Glass. Has no bottled on date or lot # but does say "BREWED IN 2011" on the front. Lets see what this Barley Ryne has to offer!

Aroma- Has a big time sour cherry aroma from the beginning to the finish. Rye, light hops, and Belgian malts come through also. Not sure this is very "true to style" for a Barleywine... Will give an average because it is like BFM to include belgian/sour notes in every aroma.

Appearance- Pours no head at all and leaves no lace afterwards. Deep reddish colored body with semi-hazing.

Flavor- Has a huge acidic beginning and then pomegranate and fruit continue from the middle of the drink til the end. Has hardly any bitterness at the finish but very sweet.

Mouthfeel- Medium Bodied, Light-Medium Carbonation, Smooth, has a ton of sweet and sour tastes that remain on the palate.

Overall Impression- Like many BFM beers, there is always going to be funk and completely different characteristics than what the style really should be. I would say you should DEFINITELY go out of your way to get a bottle of this. Not too much rye included and not sure why this was. A English Barleywine? Probably not. A Sour Barleywine we can call this!

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 20:11:38 | More by DCon

russwbeck

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Churchkey DC

A: Mostly clear with some clouds, the beer pours red with a frothy white head.

S: It smells a lot like a red wine. Boozey, grapes, rum, other dark fruits, balsamic vinaigrette. Very interesting.

T: The taste follows the smell really well. Boozy, full of grapes and other dark fruits, and only hints of rum. Very complex, yet well balanced, and dark.

MF: Medium to heavily bodied, carbonated well, dry finish.

O: Very much like a red wine. I really enjoyed this. It was not was I was expecting at all, and it blew me away.

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 05:02:13 | More by russwbeck

n2185

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: pours brown with two fingers of beige head that recedes into a thin ring with decent lacing.

S: lots of sour notes with some vanilla and caramel notes. There are sweet bread notes as well, but it smells surprisingly sour.

T: again, sour dominates. Vanilla, caramel, and sweet bready flavors as well. The rum is subtle, but there.

M: medium-light body with medium carbonation, this beer is surprisingly light for its abv.

O: a very interesting beer. Much more sour-like than a barleywine, but still quite tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2011 22:37:07 | More by n2185