The Rare Barrel Founders Club #2: Ensorcelled

Ensorcelled is a blend of our oak-aged red sour beer (Scott Tenorman) and oak-aged black Brettanomyces beer. After blending our red and black sours together, we added raspberries and let the beer age in barrels for a few more months.

Bottle release 2014, 2015

GABF Silver 2015

3.9

163 reviews

Berkeley, United States

Community reviews

4.3 750 ml bottle into tulip glass; 2015 vintage bottling, blend #019. Pours fairly crystal clear dark ruby red/light brown color with a 1 finger fairly dense light khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of huge sour/tart/tangy raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, cranberry, cherry, strawberry, lemon, orange, peach, plum, fig, pear, apricot, currant, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, cocoa, oaken vanilla, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Incredible aromas with amazing balance and complexity of raspberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, dark/bready malts, and oak barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge our/tart/tangy raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, cranberry, cherry, strawberry, lemon, orange, peach, plum, fig, pear, apricot, currant, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of peppercorn, cocoa, oaken vanilla, leathery/musty/lacto funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, fruit tang, and light yeast/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour raspberries, fruit skin/seeds, cranberry, cherry, strawberry, lemon, orange, peach, plum, fig, pear, apricot, currant, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, brown sugar, toasted bread, light leather/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, dark/bready malts, and oak barrel flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/sourness and tangy fruit balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness frrom lingering tart/sourness and tangy fruit, Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly acidic/tangy, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol for 5.8%. Overall this is an amazing fruited sour red! All around incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of raspberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, dark/bready malts, and oak barrel flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the modestly acidic/tangy/tennic/drying finish, not overly lactic. Insanely jammy raspberries with balanced Brett/Lacto complexity, dark/bready malts, and nice oak presence. A highly enjoyable offering, and amazing style example. Best sour I have had from them so far.

3.8 Frambuesa, caramelo, cuero, acidez fresca y Viva. Final seco que equilibra bien.

3.7 Keg at MBCC 2018 Red (session Trois), 11/05/18. Light reddish to black with a decent beige head. Nose is earthy, dirty red berries, funk, dry rot, basement notes, barnyard. Taste comprises stoned fruits, red berry skins, tarte berry skins, brett, vinous, fruit balsams. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, drying close with a puckering rasp of acidity.

3.2 12th May 2018 MBCC 2018. Red. Pedal to the Metal session. Keg. Opaque dark brown beer, small pale tan head. Light dry palate, decent fine carbonation. Sourish red fruits. Touch of red wine. Quite a lemony dry finish. Fine.

4.0 Rami Rami is drinking an Ensorcelled by The Rare Barrel at ul. Anielewicza Smakuje troche jak flanders z mlinami. Dobry, ciut octowy, jest tez kapke slodyczy, podoba sie

4.0 8-4-8-4-16 Bottle, vintage 2017, shared with BBGTC. Pours dark brown, with a creamy, off white head. Aroma is tart fruity notes of raspberries, musty fruit, blackberry jam and bretty floral notes, as well as minerals and earthy notes. Medium body, with average carbonation. Flavour is lactic acid and tart fruity notes of raspberries, musty fruit, fruit pits and bretty notes of dusty earth.

4.0 Bottle. Tnx Marten Pours brown with beige head. Aroma: fruity, juicy, berries. Taste: berries, dry, weak red vine vinegar, leather, rubber. Interesting.

3.9 Bottle shared at beer merchants tap. Thanks to Leighton. A murky red brown coloured pour with a a halo of beige head. Aroma is woody acetic, raspberry. Jammy fruits, raspberry blackcurrant,. Flavour is composed of woody blackberry, raspberry culle, mild vinegar burn, jammy, woodland berry fruit. Palate is acid, higish, woody, highish carbonation.

3.7 Bottle thanks to Leighton. It pours hazy / murky brown with a small beige head. The aroma is fresh raspberry, juicy, fruit compote, jammy, tangy, wood, touch of funk, cacao and leather. The taste is crisp, dry, tart, tangy, juicy, raspberry action, jammy, musty, funky, oak, tannin, leather, granny smith apple, vinous and balsamic vinegar with a tangy, slightly acidic finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. Good fun.

4.2 Sample at Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen 2018, Red Session. Aroma has tart fruits, some dark malts and light liquorice. Taste is tart with black tea notes and dark fruits. Well balanced overall.

2.9 Draught at Trillium, Roslindale, 2/1/18. Dark chestnut-mahogany with burgundy edges that show clarity. Dark beige head atop shows low retention. Chocolate, bright berry and spicy tea lead to vanilla-raspberry. Lots of cocoa powder and malic acid; a bit disjointed. Some toasted malt character, light wood and moderate lactic acidity on the end. In the mouth it's again super thin, very dry with tons of pepper, lactic acid, dull wood tannin and incredibly old, attenuated fruit. Chocolate and toast linger on the finish with low, somewhat loose carbonation. If, assumedly, these are quite old, it's surprising how thin and dull they've become. You'd expect more acidity to emerge from the bacteria, as the fruit fades, but instead they just overattenuate and remain peppery-phenolic and lightly vegetal.

3.4 12May2018 Sour citrus fruits, lemon, lime, lime pith, lemon peel. Hazy brown, small, creamy, beige head. Light sour. More sour citrus fruits, lemon and lime peel, lime juice, light acidic, soft carbonation, medium bodied. Alright. Keg at MBCC18 Red Session, Copenhagen.

2.9 Draught at MBCC red (third) session. Deep red-brownish body, patchy beige head, fair lacing. Mid-tart berries on the nose. Dry and tart taste of raspberries and brett added by a spicy touch. Prolonged ending. Just alright without further excitements. (Copenhagen 12.05.2018).

4.1 Bottle from City beer store release 2017@: tart raspberry chocolate-ish liquid cake.......

3.1 (MBCC 2018) Aroma: raspberries, bit flanders-like Taste: dry,uber sour, flavour of vinegar and raspberries, coffee ? Palate: medium body, boozy, Overall: Meh, pure sourness with vinegar.

3.8 Pours reddish brown with minimal head. Aromas tart of licorice, raspberries, red currant, oak, brown sugar. Taste has tart and somewhat sweet notes of raspberries, blackberries, oak, cherries, green apples

4.1 Big bottle shared at JL, thanks! Amber with off white head. Red malts, mild caramellized notes, wood, floral notes, red berries, resin, raspberries with lactic and acetic notes. Dry and sour.

4.1 Bottle (7.0% ABV). Raspberry, chocolate malt, oak, vinegar, and hay aroma. Dark brown with moderate head. Moderately sweet raspberry, chocolate malt, moderately sour vinegar, and mildly bitter hay flavor. Nice balance and body. Very nice.

4.0 Bottle. Pours mainly brown with hints of red, with a decent beige head. Aroma of tart berries and oak. Taste is raspberries, oak, malt, and some funk. Very nice.

4.3 Bottle from trade. Very dark brown with a quick fizz. Aroma is raspberries and gunpowder. Tart raspberry taste with a slight kick of vinegar. Not the greatest depth or elegance but amazing raspberry intensity. Great and to the year.

3.8 Pours dark brown with small beige head. Aroma is straight raspberry jam, oak, balsamic, vinegar, Taste is lots of raspberry but not as much the aroma, oak, little sour, dry.

4.0 2015 bomber pours a dark brown with a large khaki head. Huge tart raspberry aroma, funky with dry caramel malts. Tart raspberry flavors, a sour punch, oak and to yogurt, light underlying caramel malt. Very nice!

3.7 Draught@CBC2016. Copper colour, small brown head. Aroma is floral, mild tart wood, some slight berries and a bit dry sappy notes. Flavour is raspberries, some sour and tart wooden notes with mild berries as well as quite high acidicness.

4.0 Bottle. Pours a clear dark red with a thin beige head. Aroma of malt, raspberry jam and sourness. Malt and raspberry flavor with a tart fruit finish.

4.3 Murky brown on the pour, looks like a headless Porter in the glass. Great balanced slightly acidic leaning aroma and flavor of Brett and bugs and raspberries and oak. Quite sour stopping short of being agressive. Just what I’d hoped for from the description.

3.8 Bardzo agresywne, intensywne. Wysoka, wyraźnie octowa kwasowość, delikatnie paląca w przełyk i ściągająca usto. Mimo wszystko bardzo smaczne

4.0 On tap @ Copenhagen Beer Celebration 2016. This is a deep dark bronze looking one, on the top there’s a nice medium sized quite sidesticking beige top. On the nose I get sour prunes and plums. Apricot also I think. Some raspberries for sure also and it’s dark sugary yet really sour. Lovely aroma. It has a mid oily texture in the mouth and it’s just above average on the carbonation. Sharp and lemonic in the taste. Lots of sour dark ripe raspberries. It has a near syrup concentration also. Woody and mouthdrying in the aftertaste. Again, really nice one from this fantastic brewer. 14.05.2016

4.0 (On tap @ CBC 2016 Red Session, Copenhagen) Pours deep brown, reddish highlights, tan head. Aroma of caramel malt, jammy raspberry, light sour cherry, quite oaky, balsamic notes, yeasty funk, pretty tart but with a sweet core as well. Flavour is quite sour despite some solid sweet malt as a backbone, notes of raspberry, tart red berries, oaky wood, lightly vinous, yeast, moderate funk, balsamic, hints of toast. Finish is a mix of persistent sour and dry woody, yeasty character. Medium body, a bit oily, soft carbonation. High sourness level as typical for Rare Barrel, but it works well with this style.

4.0 At Max Place, pours brown with a beige head, aroma of brett, cherries, berries, wood, flavor of berries, sourish, brett, medium bodied, great

4.1 Draft @ CBC 2016. Pours a dark amber brown color with a small off-white head. Has a fruity sour tart woody raspberry aroma. Fruity sour tart woody raspberry flavor. Has a fruity sour tart woody raspberry finish.