Fortuitous - Yazoo Brewing Company

sommersb

Tennessee

4.2/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tasted On: 03-08-2012
Freshness: Bottled on 12-14-2011
Packaging: 750 ml brown bottle
Glassware: Snifter
Purchased: Single from Frugal MacDoogal, Nashville

Bottle was bought following the drawing at the Yazoo release event...

Appearance is black and opaque, with a tan head about a finger high. Good amount of lace with fair head retention.

Smells are awesome - rich and complex, including the campfire smokiness of the original smoked porter (Sue), a good bit of bourbon whiskey, roasted malts, sweet and sour cherry, and some funky/woody aromas.

The taste starts off with a sour kick - more so than I expected from the aromas. Strong wood/oak/cherry flavors combined with coffee-roast bitterness. The bourbon taste is not as dominant, but there is a good bit of warmth here from the alcohol.

The body is in the medium range, a bit thinner than I would have thought, with a moderate level of carbonation. The finish is sour and includes smokey and woody aftertastes. This is a slow sipping beer due to the sourness and alcohol.

Overall a different and excellent beer from Yazoo. I can definitely see the influence of Sue, and the sourness adds an interesting twist without overwhelming the taste. I would have liked a bit more of the bourbon in the blend, however. I have an extra bottle of this and will plan to see how it ages - should be interesting!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2012 05:09:20 | More by sommersb

Photekut

Azerbaijan

2.5/5  rDev -30.7%

05-19-2013 01:34:42 | More by Photekut

weonfire

Kentucky

3.5/5  rDev -3%

05-02-2013 17:46:14 | More by weonfire

DenverLogan

Colorado

3.84/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

From a bottle left over from World Beer Cup...I think.
Poured in chalice at private backyard tasting.
Pours a dark brown with tan head.
Rich aroma of chocolate, tannin, dark roasted malts, and mild smoke.
Medium carbonation and strong mouthfeel.
Flavors of light cola, modest malts, minerals, peat, watery coffee, bourbon, dark chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 05:33:39 | More by DenverLogan

leedorham

Washington

2/5  rDev -44.6%

02-25-2013 19:38:46 | More by leedorham

harrymel

Washington

1.5/5  rDev -58.4%

02-23-2013 23:39:58 | More by harrymel

DaBubs

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -3%

02-06-2013 00:24:08 | More by DaBubs

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%

01-18-2013 02:20:36 | More by yourefragile

spycow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -3%

01-13-2013 20:45:14 | More by spycow

TheBishopco

Tennessee

4/5  rDev +10.8%

01-11-2013 12:27:08 | More by TheBishopco

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.48/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Drabmuh for this. Served in a cervoise. Pours a very dark brown with a nice lasting tab head and quite a bit of spotty lacing. Nose has some chocolate and roast, no hint of the underlying infection. Flavor is a nice porter with a bit of lactic acidity and a moderate funk and cherry presence. Medium body and a bit creamy. Quite nice.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 16:05:14 | More by Thorpe429

AgentZero

Illinois

3/5  rDev -16.9%

12-06-2012 21:27:12 | More by AgentZero

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.25/5  rDev -10%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured a dark brown, somewhat nearing black, with a tan head. The aroma was slightly smoky, with a slight acrid tartness on the nose and a hint of bourbon and vanilla. Taste somewhat followed that; only mildly tart or acidic, a little barrel presence, and touches of chocolate and smoke. Nothing is too in your face, but it's nice to drink. A bit of elevated carbonation, which could be expected.

I'm presuming that this was an unintentional infection of barrel-aged Sue, that seemed interesting to bottle. And it was. It was interesting and worth the try. But having had Sue, this particular treatment kinda just made me miss Sue, because she's a great beer and this doesn't really do her justice.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2012 12:18:11 | More by EgadBananas

cpetrone84

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

pour is dark brown, opaque, creamy dirty tan head. Nose is chocolate malt, cream, faint tobacco, and notes of cherry. The taste is very sweet with light plastic, band aid note. Light tobacco in back, somewhat roast/burnt, smokey finish and faint sour fruit. Body is full, creamy, strong carbonation, and wet feel.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 13:55:30 | More by cpetrone84

womencantsail

California

3.68/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours almost black in color with a tall khaki head. Nose is heavy on the roast with a hint of smoke. Sour cherries, green apple, raisins, and plums on the nose, too. A touch of berries and vinegar. Tastes decently acetic, but a nice complexity. Tons of roast, mild smoke, dark fruits, and quite a strong dryness. Definite tannins going on here. Not terribly funky, but a little bit of leather and black pepper.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2012 18:11:23 | More by womencantsail

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours a chocolate brown color with a massive, rocky head; loads of lacing left behind

Smell: Sour cherries with hints of toasted brown bread and chocolate

Taste: Toasted brown bread, up front, but the sour cherry flavors quickly take over, bringing hints of chocolate that develop, after the swallow; building acidity in the finish; the smoke finally arrives in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation; slightly creamy and very puckery

Overall: Was looking forward to tasting this beer after I discovered the intriguing flavors in my aged bottle of infected Sue; I wish the smoke came through more discernably, but still an enjoyable sour

Thanks, TheGordianKnot, for the opportunity

Edit: Cracked open my last bottle of infected Sue to taste the two beers side by side and the Fortuitous was fruitier while the infected Sue had a lot more smoke

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2012 21:32:06 | More by brentk56

Holland

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -16.9%

06-18-2012 17:09:39 | More by Holland

jmarsh123

Indiana

2.4/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Pours black with a small tan head fading into nothing.

Aroma is quite different from the base beer. The roasted malts come through and there is still some smoke present, but not as much as Sue. Sour cherries permeate as well along with a hint of brett.

Smoke is subdued compared to Sue, but still present. Lots of dark fruits and cherry sourness intermingle with the roast malt and smoke and it's not a particular pleasant mixture. Got a little vinegary on the back end.

Low carbonation, mouthfeel is way too thin.

While not the worst unintentionally infected beer I've had, it still isn't pleasant. It really does just taste like a batch gone wrong. The sourness clashes with the base beer too much. Glad I got to try it, but was not impressed.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2012 15:10:10 | More by jmarsh123

mdillon86

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%

06-18-2012 12:05:28 | More by mdillon86

duceswild

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -3%

06-18-2012 00:48:39 | More by duceswild

Pencible

Virginia

4/5  rDev +10.8%

06-15-2012 18:59:14 | More by Pencible

jacewg

District of Columbia

4.25/5  rDev +17.7%

06-15-2012 14:08:27 | More by jacewg

titosupertramp

Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +24.7%

06-10-2012 21:14:08 | More by titosupertramp

vfgccp

New York

4.75/5  rDev +31.6%

06-10-2012 19:29:31 | More by vfgccp

TATURBO

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev +26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a Dark Brown with minimal head.
The smell is fantastic, Really one of the best beers yet on the "smell" scale. Has a sweet Chocolatey, Cherry, Fruit, Bourbon smell. Seems to lack smokiness though. As it warms a strong vanilla extract comes out.
Taste is very complex with fruit flavors, primarily the cherry with the smokiness of a normal Yazoo Sue and some vanilla on the back end.
Mouth was above average but lacking fullness to score higher.
Overall a great beer on it's own but not the same as what I believe they were trying to replicate. I believe the unintentional "Sour Sue" was the target. I'd had a few 6 packs of that and it was actually a great infected beer. The Sourness brought a new dimension to the beer. Fortuitous got close and still worthy of a 4.25 to me.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2012 18:47:31 | More by TATURBO