Rowley Farmhouse Ales If You Must - Tablas Creek (2023)

“Tart cherry and lemony-musty-floral lambic-cellar funk in the aroma. Quite sweet up front, though it gets help from restrained acidity, high effervescence, and wine-like fruit-tannin to find its own balance.”

“Strong, citrus herbal nose with some phenolic bite. Tangy orange contrasts with a dry, cocktail-cracker aspect. Lingering mineral and grapefruit-pith bitterness.”

Aroma: “Fresh bread dough, vanilla, chardonnay wine, apples, and sulfur. There’s a slight lemon tartness, and white-grape fruit notes add sweetness.” Flavor: “Refreshing and crisp up front. The flavor starts with a sweet white- grape-like character and yields to a peppery note that dries up the finish and keeps it from being overly puckering. Pleasant aftertaste of lemon, light bready malt, and light woody notes.” Overall: “The initial blast of sourness gets your attention, but there is no vinegar or acetic sourness, so you quickly adjust. A complex Berliner Weisse with loads of honey and wine. Light and bright, with an ultimately restrained acidity that expresses confidence in the brewer’s ability to evoke other flavors and not bury the beer flavor itself.”