New Belgium Brewing Le Terroir

__Aroma:__ “Moderate toasted malt blends well with the *Brett* woody funk and pineapple and dark cherry. It’s kind of hard to find the cherry unless you know it is there, but the barnyard character is very pleasant. The sweet toasted malt background isn’t completely hidden by the *Brett.* Vanilla, and some wood qualities (oak or maple) along with some earthy notes.” __Flavor:__ “Lots of earthy, musty, leathery, barnyard funk followed by pie cherries and toasty malt. Moderate sweetness supports the fruit. High carbonation. Some vanilla qualities. Rich toasted character from the malt in the base beer supports the barnyard character well, blending caramel, leather, and horse blanket. The cherry character plays a supporting role. It is sweet and fleshy with just a slight tartness.” __Overall:__ “Lots of *Brett* funk with the fruit and malt playing a more supporting role. It’s a very drinkable ale with sour cherries. Each sip brings more subtleties. A very complex, well-blended amber cherry farmhouse sour. All parts lead to something greater than the sum.”

**Aroma:** “Cherry, fig, and raspberry tart aromas dominate. Grape notes with a touch of sourness and low malt sweetness. As it warms, grape notes recede and sourness comes forward.” **Flavor:** “Flavors of cherry, blackberry, fig, and biscuity malt with a clean lactic sour. The light sourness is well balanced by the round, full-bodied malt character. Lingering sweetness and a dry finish. Some spicy phenolics. Moderate tartness up front that’s mildly fruity. High carbonation with a medium body. Linger is dry with fruity notes and is medium lasting. Acidity is moderately high and balanced by the residual malt character.” **Overall:** “Very crisp and refreshing. High fruitiness mixed with high carbonation and a touch of acetic sourness and touch of herbal. The fruity sweetness is complex and well-balanced with a slight acetic sourness. A classic example of the style. Very tasty and smooth. Not super complex, but very nice.”

**Aroma:** “Pine needles, huge mango and passion fruit, and grapefruit. Some mild earthiness and a lovely malt sweetness. An amazing example of the what wonderful aromas hops can bring to the table.” **Flavor:** “A really well-rounded pint. Fruit notes are nicely balanced, with no one aspect sticking out obtrusively. Earthy character from the nose is apparent in the flavor as well, even more so as the beer warms. An exceptionally smooth bitterness helps this go down easily, and good residual malt sweetness provides just the support this beer needs. So juicy and in all the right ways. All the strong flavors promised in the aroma are delivered, and then some.” **Overall:** “The beautiful hazy, deep gold color and fluffy white head are inviting, and the fruity, slightly earthy aroma are nice, but it’s the balanced flavor that really makes this beer shine. The weight on the tongue, the carbonation, and the individual flavors play well together, and the bitterness and malt sweetness are perfectly aligned to make this dangerously drinkable. A well-executed IPA. I'm having a hard to time writing enough effusive praise for this beer because I can’t put down my sample glass.”