Oliver's Cider & Perry Bitter Sweet Funk

**Aroma:** “Lovely acetic notes of foot and dusty cellar on top of apple. Very inviting barnyard Brett aroma with light lemony tartness and perfume-like apple-blossom notes.” **Flavor:** “Surprisingly bitter and a bit overpowering. Lots of delicate wild flavors compete with a complex apple background. Horse blanket/leather hits first, then a light baked-apple flavor follows with fruity esters like peach and lemon. Flavor drops away, leaving a soft astringency and light touch of leather. Aftertaste is drying acidity with a touch of green apple and a light lingering sweetness.” **Overall:** “A fantastic example of a spontaneously fermented cider—interesting and fun. It’s funky, but not a real challenge to the neophyte. Accessible and delightfully interesting to wine drinkers—this is well worth drinking.”

**Aroma:** “Big on coriander, with some mild pepper spice and citrus aromas of orange and tangerine. Tart with a bit of funk and moderate acidity on the nose. A hint of salt, sweet pale malt aroma, and some earthiness.” **Flavor:** “Complex, unique tartness up front, with hints of lemon juice, which works surprisingly well with the moderate level of salt. Nice, soft malt background that balances the tartness, and no hops bitterness. Huge coriander, with a SweeTarts mix of malt and sour, and a big salty kiss that lingers into the aftertaste. Every sip hits pretty strong, but some of the other notes have to build to be noticed, like the phenolic spiciness and ester complexity.” **Overall:** “Fairly balanced and well-done, although a bit heavy-handed with the salt. Lots of balanced complexity, with tartness that’s supported by a tasty base beer.”

**Aroma:** “Red apple and caramel with a little acid, Brett barnyard goodness, and stone-fruit-like plum, apricot, and dark cherries. Very intriguing with almond, wildflower, leather, and mahogany notes.” **Flavor:** “Honey and a bit of umami yeast stress meatiness accented by light mint, brett, caramel, and lactic acid notes. Has a light tannic bitterness. Astringent wild lacto/pedio chewiness sits up front, but past that is some very interesting bitter/acid carrying it through the finish. Light wild-yeast sourness and Brett horsiness. Could use more apple charac- ter and a little more tartness.” **Overall:** “Interesting cider—the Brett balances well with the apple. I wanted to love this—the wild character is so much fun—but there are aspects that come off accidental. The astringency and leather are a bit strong for taste. As a cider, this really doesn’t satisfy. Instead, it’s better to think of it as a wild thing.”