22 oz screened bottle from Hop City, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Pour gives a golden body with a frankly disappointing head. Not much retention or lace. Good clarity if nothing else.
Nose gives a lot of apple acidity that is quite noticeable. It also has a fairly large whiff of manure/wet horse-blanket.
Interestingly enough, most of the funk goes away in the taste. There is a touch of cider in the back end, but the beer is not a funky one at all. Some yeast also comes into the picture along with some more typical large malt presence that one would expect from a beer in the style of a Biere de Mars/Garde. There is also some spice notes with a touch of white pepper but also some extra dry metallic notes.
I must admit I’m a bit confused as o what New Belgium is trying to do here. I think an American Wild Ale is a huge stretch, and perhaps better would be a Biere de Garde. At the same time it has some cider like notes. Strange beast and not really especially drinkable either. Finishes a little to dry and the whole thing doesn’t sit all that well. It just doesn’t seem to mesh very well.