The Ale Apothecary Sahalie
A mixed fermentation ale aged in wine barrels.
3.9
202 reviews
Bend, United States
Community reviews
Keg @ The Ale Apothecary taproom, Bend. Pours a misty golden orange with a nice amount of pure white froth atop. Funk, yeast, fruit on the nose. Taste is tart, vinous, tangy, floral citrus, barnyard with nice complex depth of flavours.
My first Ale Apothecary and apparently one of their flagship beers, a strong sour with honey aged on wine barrels. From a 75 cl bottle with cork, muselet and hangtag with a text referring to a very generic beer past. Quite thick, egg-white, plastery lacing, stable head slowly opening here and there, initially clear pale orange-hued 'old gold' robe turning misty and eventually cloudy with sediment, with a deeper peachy hue. Complex, expressive nose: dry white wine, unripe nectarine, purple gooseberries, raw rhubarb, green apple, grape peel, dusty cellar and old wood, lemon peel, artisanal honey indeed, dry cider, calvados, minerals, fresh orange, dry hay, redcurrant, very faint hint of non-disturbing metal (copper?). Very crisp onset, fizzy and minerally carbonation, lots of fruity esters and sourness but with a sweetish core, gooseberries, redcurrant, unripe plum, green apple, touch of lime; full, rounded mouthfeel, soft bready malt core soaked in fruity sourness, turning a bit acidic and lemony towards the end, when retronasally a 'wild' honey effect sets in along with well-measured tannic woodiness, grape peel aspects and a hint of green bitter weeds. Strong dry white wine effect in the tail but still harbouring this ripe grape sweetishness as well, supporting but nowhere overcoming the ongoing lactic and fruity sourness. The flavours are all highlighted by a soothing afterglow of calvados-like alcohol, but in a subtle way for a beer this strength - in other words, the alcohol as a whole remains remarkably well in place. A deep, brief and volatile earthy hop bitterish note provides structure without interfering with this sour fruity profile. I know now where this Oregon brewery gets its reputation: this is by all means a world class sour ale, nowhere too harshly puckering but remaining well-behaved, noble, complex and still intense. It's been a long time since I had an American sour ale at this quality level; very stimulating to buy more bottles from this brewery, in spite of the price tag. Masterpiece in its specific style!
Flaska från Beer Republic. Något ljusare guldfärgad, klar med vit krona. Funkig, jordig, citrus, rivet citronskal, örtigt, brett, mycket fat, aprikos, lite vinöst, fin och oerhört mjuk syrlighet. Fint integrerad. Känns att den är något större i storlek, men 9% känns absolut inte av.
Pours a hazy golden orange from the bottle with bubbly ring of off-white foam that leaves light lace on the way down. Aroma of herbal musty funk, a light oaky middle, a huge juniper throughout, and then an unfortunate solvent ending. Taste follows, starts off awesome, with great funk and light acidity, then you're overwhelmed herbal notes and a touch of solvent behind the acid on the finish. Very unfortunate as every other beer I have had from them has been spectacular.
Shared 750 ml. bottle poured to a snifter showing a clear, orangey/gold color, with a presentable layer of soft white froth, and spots & strands of lacing. The nose was funk, woodiness, citrus, tartness, and a touch of vinous nature. Medium bodied, noted a bit of honey in the flavor, with continued oak, fruit, sourness, lively effervescence, and dryness.
750ml bottle shared @Ma che siete venuti a fà with Ficco. Ambrata scarica, limpida e brillante, schiuma bianca media, discretamente persistente. Al naso note di sottobosco, salvia, rosmarino, limone. In bocca è vinosa, appena dolce all'attacco con finale appena acido e speziata, erbe officinali. Corpo medio, carbonazione media. Un'esperienza, ma dopo qualche sorso stucca e si fa fatica a finirla.
Sour and a little bit sweet , honey , light, easy to drink , perfect !
750ml bottle. Funky, sour and oaky with some tart fruits, wood, farmyard and yeasty notes. Pretty well balanced sour.
Bottle from a friend. Hazy yellow color, white head. Sour taste with citrus, apricot, minerals, ripe fruits, grass and tart. Sour finish with citrus, ripe fruits, apricot, grass, tart and minerals. Excellent sour ale.
Sample from the bottle at Tide's, Helsinki. Color is cloudy golden with small white head. Aromas and flavors: Fruits, some funky yeast and malts. Simple but enjoyable.
had on two occasions, in august was a darker and earthier taste to it. second bottle bought at same time but drank in December was a remarkable difference. clearer in color and sharper in taste. expected amount of sourness yet crisp in contrast to unaged bottle.
Bottle@Lennart's Summer Tasting, Malmö (30/06/2018) - hazy golden amber coloured pour with a white head. Tart citrus fruity notes with some lemon and some notes of grape coming through, bretty accents, wooden oak notes, medium body, tart fruity finish.
Hazy amber color, off-white head. Berries nose, vinegar, wood, grapes, citrus, hay. Sour fruity taste, berries, complex yet balanced, citrus, barnyard. Medium body, soft to average carbonation.
9, 4, 9, 4, 17
Bottle at Black Christmas 2018, batch Jun 19 2015, 3 years old, 9.45% ABV
Hazy blond colour. Nice character of stone fruit; jammy flavour, perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.
Excellent.
Bottle at Legends tasting; hazy amber pour with a thin white head, aroma has floral and and citrus, taste has quite big alcohol, sour citrus, a bit woody.
A 750ml corked bottle, batch bottled on 7th July 2017. Poured into a 3 Fonteinen stemmed glass. It was a lightly hazy golden orange colour with a big three finger white head that dissipated fairly quickly but left some nice lacing. Aromas were tart, funk, brett, grapefruit zest, lemon zest, orange and pineapple with hints of apricot. Tastes tart, sour, pineapple, apricot, grapefruit zest and a touch of oak. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Overall very nice aroma and taste. There was a light booze on the finish that was barely noticeable, which I guess shouldn’t be too surprising that it was there, given it was more than 9% ABV, but it’s these little things that knocked it down a fraction or two.
8-3-8-5-17
Bottle, two year after bottling. Pours orange, with a short lived creamy head. Aroma is tart fruity notes with sour cherries and berries, with red wine vinegar, sour candy, tannins, grapes, wooden barrels and floral bretty notes. Full body, with average carbonation. Flavour is tart, with wine vinegar, grapes, berries, and sour candy, as well as tannins, bretty farmhouse notes and wooden barrels.
Bottle. Pours a golden color with a small white head. Has a fruity spicy woody weak sour bretty aroma with weak hoppy hints. Fruity sour tart spicy woody bretty hoppy flavor. Has a fruity sour tart woody spicy bretty finish.
0.75l bottle@: Brett character with fruity, citrusy, barnyard notes~estery~addition of floral honey~funk~moderate acidity & tannins enhanced dry finish~jp!
Pre-Arrogant sour festival@Au Trappiste - pours a cloudy pale orange beer with a nice head retention; estery with notes of dill, very aromatic, brett-like; effervescent and very tasty, full-bodied, well-hidden alcohol, long fruity and woody aftertaste with more notes of dill - a beauty
Bottle at home. Orange with faint, white head. Lemon, green grapes, tart lemon zest. Dry, oaky. Very good.
Pino, menta, mango, albaricoque. Acidez suave y fresca, sabrosa y final seco.
Bottled:
Pours murky orange with a small head. Sourish aroma with notes of red currants and goose berries. Rich , sourish taste of red currants, goose berries and winter apples.
Golden color, earthy, high tartness, wine and Brett. Highly recommend for those who enjoy a nice linger on the palate
Hazy golden color with a white head that lasts. Aroma is intense brett with notes of barnyard, basement, funk, oak, lighter fruit. Medium bodied, high tartness, oak and brett flavors dominate with lesser fruit notes.
750ml bottle that I paid a lot of money for. Poured a hazy golden color with an off white head. Wood, wine, fruity, funky, citrus, and brett.
Bottle shared at RBSG. The beer is a hazed yellow with a white head of foam. Sour and earthy with a big vinegar note. Tart and floral. Medium body and low carbonation.
Pour in the lobby of the hotel at RBSG17 late Friday night. Pours a hazed gold with a medium sized white head. Big acid, funk, a bit of fruit, wood. Medium bodied, acid, wood, big and tart, long acidity. Lemon, bright and tangy. Long acid, a bit of fruit. Acid.
16.06.2017, 0,75l bottle shared @ local tasting:
Nice bubbly-creamy mediumlasting head, hazy. Aroma is slightly dry sour-ish floral, hay, sour grass, oak, mild vinegar, bark, fruit stones, minerals, paper, moss. Taste is slightly sweet sour-ish fruity, mild vinegar, grass, fruit stones, oak, unripe berries, dried fruits, sorrel, alcohol, citrus peel, minerals. Medium bitterness, slightly dry sour-ish mouthfeel. Nice.
Pours a golden orange with thick sudsy white head. Acidic, vinegar and lemony aroma. Quite acidic vinegar like and tart, some musty character, lemony. Quite complex.
Notes: bottle pour at the new tasting room, June 17