Mikkeller Spontanframboos
So far, I’ve had two of Mikkeller’s “Spontan-” beers — their Spontankriek and Spontanwildstrawberry. Both were interesting beers, but both also carried a distinct medicinal character that I just couldn’t get past. I knew, in picking up this bottle of their Spontanframboos, that the possibility of encountering that off trait was high, but I succumbed, purchasing the bottle anyways.
Luckily, this 2013 dated bottle of Spontanframboos showed no signs of any sort of medicinal character. In fact, this was a darn tasty brew — certainly the best of the three. It’s got a good balance between the fruity raspberry and a sour tartness — neither overpowers the other. I believe that De Proef Brouwerij handled all three of these beers so I’m not sure why the other two weren’t nearly as tasty as Spontanframboos.
Appearance
The lambic pours a dark, pinkish red in color with a stack of beige foam carrying a pinkish hue.
Aroma
The aroma is pretty basic: raspberries, sour tartness and a lightly funky, wild yeast character.
Taste
The brew is tart, but not nearly as tart as the aroma lead me to believe. The sour tartness leads the way for fruity raspberry, a hint of wood and a good amount of wild yeastiness. It’s drying and carries a lasting tartness in the finish as a moderate sweetness is left on the lips.
Overall
I thoroughly enjoyed Spontanframboos. It’s worlds apart from the other two brews that I’ve had in this series of releases from Mikkeller. Fruity, tart and polished, the brew drinks well. Perhaps it’s the age on the beer that has helped it out compared to its siblings or maybe it’s just the result of a better recipe. Regardless, this is one that I will happily pick up again.
Rating: 4/5
