Sierra Nevada / Russian River Brux Domesticated Wild Ale

Brux Domesticated Wild Ale, A Russian River & Sierra Nevada Collaboration. A dry and complex Belgian-style ale refermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces bruxellensis. Brewed and bottled by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, CA, in collaboration with with Russian River Brewing Company.

Caged and cork, 750 ml bottle. Clear, bright amber color, under a slim white head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma: this one will take some time, as it's not throwing out any ordinary flavors or associations. There's some fruit, but no sweetness, no hops, very dry, and none of the typical descriptors for a sour brew come out of this nose. There's some of that horse blanket rearing it's head, now, some of the cat pee shows up, some of the funk.

Taste: lean bodied, short finish, light on flavor. Mild malt character, negligible hop contribution, but the yeast is felt, and tasted. The cat pee returns to the flavor, hints of lemon, dry, yes, again, but , alas, there's very little of anything else going on.

I'll take a minute to read the label. "What began as a mutual admiration between Sierra Nevada's Grossman family and Russian River's Cilurzos has grown and progressed into genuine friendship. Brux began as an idea and has grown into something altogether different. …The liquid manifestation of change over time….Refermented in the bottle with Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Brux will change and develop over time. Copper-colored, dry and complex, with slightly tart notes of green grass, pear, spice and lemon---this ale will progress in the bottle for many years."

Well. damnit, why didn't I read this first? Why did I make the dunder-headed move of actually drinking this bottle fresh and expecting something good, when I should have sat on it for years, to see what happens when it develops? Will it gain flavor, where now it has virtually none?

I'm sorry, but beers should be judged based on how they taste when they're placed on the shelves. This one as it is should be filed under: "meh." No, wait, make that "Blah."

Unfortunately, there's about 18 ounces left in this thing, and I don't believe in "drain pours." It might be time for some blending. Luckily, I have a growler of Harriet's Saison Nourrice nearby, and I think I'll spike this with that, and maybe it'll go down better.