There seems to have been a bit of a slowdown in new release beer from Otterbank, though there have been welcome rebrews of old favourites like Gimp Mask and Just the One. The most recent set included just the two which were brand new to me.Wild Muff owes its puerile name to the yeast, harvested from a forest near the brewery. Based on Chevalier barley, it was fermented out in Sauvignon Blanc casks, left for 27 months to let the yeast ply its trade. The result is a sparkling golden amber beer of 5.8% ABV, looking like something from a Dutch renaissance painting.
The white wine is apparent from the aroma, mellow and melony, with just a naughty nip of tartness alongside. The texture is light and brisk, and the flavour reminds me of Flanders red in particular: balsamic resins, macerated cherries and a charming matured warmth. At the same time it's definitely a pale beer, with a crispness not dissimilar to geuze.
If this was an experiment, it's one well worth repeating. The result is very pleasant drinking and shows all the hallmarks of good Belgian-style sour ale with none of the shortcuts. I suppose that taking over two years to produce means it would really want to.
To follow, Oíche Mhaith is a Burgundy barrel aged mixed fermentation vatted porter (12% ABV) which, at time of writing this introductory sentence, I have not yet tasted. It looks nice -- black with cola-red edging -- and smells a little of vermouth and a lot of balsamic vinegar.The flavour is rather mellower, I'm happy to say. I assume the vats are made of oak because there's a lot of smooth, assured and matured, vanilla on display here. Spanish wine comes to mind: the correct level of Rioja richness; the ripe-to-bursting grape juice effect meeting more astringent raisin and sparks of black pepper and old leather.
This is pretty much exactly what anyone would want agéd, oakéd porter to be: bold, distinctive, yet worringly drinkable. If you didn't like it, tell me why and I'll explain why you're wrong.
It's a delightful luxury to have so much wine-barrel-aged beer coming out of Irish breweries who know how to do it well (see also Wednesday's post). Long may this niche remain viable.