Allagash Tiarna

Time for another one of Allagash's one-off releases, Tiarna.  This beer was a blend of two beers, one fermented in a normal tank with two Belgian yeast strains and the other aged in oak barrels with brettanomyces (aka "brett").  Allagash has not said what the proportions were for the final blend.  Like all of their one-off bottles, it is sold in a 375ml/12.7oz bottle sealed with a champagne cork.

As one can see, it is an extremely bright golden hue topped by a billowy and fairly luxurious crown of white foam.  I must say, Tiarna has stunning head retention.  I let it sit out for five minutes to see if the foam would subside; it didn't, so I gave up and started drinking it instead.  Lively carbonation no doubt plays a role in this.

The crystal clarity of the beer changed dramatically by the end of the bottle as I finally managed to fit the dregs in:

I was unsure what sort of beer this would be.  Allagash has released brett beers before that were sours and brett beers that weren't sour.  Tiarna seems to be Allagash's crack at a middle ground.  Smells and tastes like success to me!

The aroma somewhat resembles a gueuze lambic, albeit milder and less sour.  Apple cider, wet hay and a ton of brett-induced funk.  There is a slight hint of what I have previously referred to as "sweaty apples," a smell I cannot describe any other way.  It is nowhere near as strong as it is in lambic, however.

Apple sweat and a cider-like tartness come through in the flavor profile.  They are joined by lemons, limes, grape skins and oak.  Unfortunately, the oak flavor takes on the very astringent character of wood tannins here, the only setback in an otherwise tasty beer.

Tiarna might not have the extreme acidity of a full-blown sour beer, but it otherwise has the texture of a sour down pat.  Which is to say, this beer is absolutely bone-dry.  There is not a hint of sweetness to be found.  The carbonation is brisk enough to rival a sparkling wine, a fact the video above testifies to.

Tiarna is an excellent beer overall, perfectly balanced between funky yeast flavor flavor on one hand and mild sourness on the other.  Again, my only complaint is that rather than provide a mellowing role the barrel-aging appears to have absorbed an inordinate amount of wood tannins.  The resulting beer is a touch more astringent than it should be.  In the end this is merely a mild detriment, however, and I imagine this being brewed again given how quickly it sold out.  Keep your eyes peeled for any future news about Allagash remaking it.