The Lost Abbey » Red Poppy Ale 2012 (Flanders Red Ale) | ABV: 5.5%
I finally found the right evening to crack into this wonderful sour from The Lost Abbey -- the brew that truly launched my feverish interest in sour and wild beers.
Red Poppy starts life at Pizza Port's Dawn Patrol Dark session Brown Ale. After fermentation and during barrel transfer, it's blended with Port Brewing's Amigo Lager. Cherries are added and put through a second fermentation, than aged six months.
The result is a vibrant nose, blooming with bright sour cherry flavor and subtler notes of grape and apple, supported by a transparent nuttiness and soft, earthy funk.
Red Poppy hits the palate with a chewy, decedent, and full-bodied mouthfeel that remains elegant, never dipping into weighted tubbiness. It's puckering, with an expert balance of sour cherry and chocolate.
Further through, a venerable cornucopia of flavors peak through at every turn - lemon pith, grape skin, mineral characteristics, all with a touch of funk, rummy finish, and an afterglow that is sweeter than most sours.
Absolutely a superb beer.
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