Anchorage Brewerys When Youre Strange: Review by @Robyn_Seto

Jan 27

Jan 27 Anchorage Brewerys When Youre Strange: Review by @Robyn_Seto

When You're Strange is a barrel-aged sour ale brewed with apricots from Alaska-based Anchorage Brewing. As I drink this beer on the first hard freeze in Sacramento for 2021, I dream of the brighter and warmer days ahead of us.

The aroma will have you thinking this beer will be super sour, but the sour scent is the result of fermentation in various oak barrels. The taste is actually quite pleasant. The tartness is present but it’s not overly acidic so it won’t make you pucker your lips. It’s bubbly like champagne and has a lot of wine characteristics. These wine-like notes are the direct result of intense barrel-aging. This been is first stored in French oak foeders (for a definition of a foeder, check out my Fun with Foeders review), then aged for 18 months in French oak chardonnay barrels with Brettanomyces (a wild yeast used to produce sour ales), and then aged for 4 more months in Missouri Oak barrels with apricots. It’s also bottle conditioned, meaning the fermentation process continues after bottling. This brewing process makes for a delightfully tart, fruity, and oaky beer with dazzling effervescence.

When You’re Strange is truly a work of art! It has been crafted with care and patience. The barrel-aging also adds booziness to this beer. At 10% ABV, this is a very alcoholic sour. Like all good works of art, they are best enjoyed with company. If you happen to see one in the wild, perhaps pick one up to share with a wine-inclined friend.

5/5 Burps