Normally, I would have grouped this with the other one so I don’t write multiple posts in a row, but this beer deserves a special post just for itself. I had bought St. Sylvester’s Flanders Winter Ale after a tasting. It was sitting on the sale rack at Nikki’s for $1-2 off. I had never heard of it, the label is blah and ugly, and all other signs would have pointed to “don’t buy”, except for the fact that the guy running the tasting said it’s good. So I bought it. I opened it today with its ghetto cork, piece of metal holding the cork, and plastic wrapper around the cork (like those found on a medicine bottle). It make a nice POP when I finally got the cork out.
Because I had never heard of it, I had to look it up on Beer Advocate. To my surprise, there were only 2 reviews of this beer. Also to my surprise, the style was said to be Saison/Farmhouse Ale. Based on the name, I expected it to be a Flanders Red Ale. So at this point, I had no idea what to expect… so I had to try it, and tonight was the night.
The beer poured a dark amber with a thick 2 finger white head. Looked like a Flanders Red Ale to me.
The beer smelled of tart/sour cherries and other dark fruit (again Flanders Red), sweet malts, and yeast (Saison?).
The taste was quite different. Tart cherry/fruit flavor up front, some spices and yeast around mid-sip, and some lemony flavors after the swallow. The beer definitely seems to be a hybrid style. Tastes like a Saison mixed with a Flanders Red Ale. It’s literally 50/50.
Its kind of bready in feel, while medium bodied. Lots of tiny bubbles are present. It’s got a nice feel. The beer is also drinkable. It’s 8.5% ABV, but I didn’t notice until it knocked me out while watching TV, long after I finished it (had to drink the whole bottle because Susan wasn’t crazy about it). I wish I had another of these.
This beer is great. If you see it, pick it up. It’s worth trying, probably more than once. The label is ugly as hell and they need to work on it. For a beer this good, the label does not do it any justice. I would also gladly pay full price for this beer. The moral of the story… don’t judge a beer by its label or ghetto cork/metal thing/plastic wrapper.
0 Responses to “St. Sylvester’s Flanders Winter Ale”