Firestone Walker Krieky Bones
Firestone Walker’s Krieky Bones is an outstanding wild/sour ale. The 5.9% ABV beer starts life as a Flanders red before it’s been aged 24 months in a massive French oak foeder (2200 gallons according to the company). Sour Montmorency cherries are added for a secondary fermentation. Everything is then packaged up and sent out for your enjoyment. And, man, did I enjoy this beer.
The California brewery has been on fire as of late with several wild/sour ale releases and Krieky Bones is another notch in that belt. Soft woody notes, a moderate tartness and balancing sweetness carry juicy cherries and smooth funkiness across the tongue smoothly. The beer has a refined character with a long lasting finish that tingles for a good long while after each sip.
Firestone Walker, along with Allagash, has been positioned fairly high on my list for barrel-aged wild ales recently. Both companies have been producing some truly inspiring beers. Krieky Bones is a wonderfully balanced beer with a classic character that could still develop a good bit with some cellaring. I just need to hunt down another bottle or three.