Harriet Suga' Mama

Harriet Suga Mama, a wonderful failed experiment, and my favorite beer from them so far. Did I just spoil the ending? You'll forgive me, won't you?

So, this was supposed to be a batch of Divine Oculust, the Belgian-style strong golden ale, with candy sugar produced in-house. This new product had unforeseen results, adding greater depth, and shooting up the alcohol another 2 percent. And then it went into a wine barrel (not sure what kind), adding greater complexity and flavor. Now, let's look at it…

Hazy amber appearance, solid, staying, lush, off-white head. Looking great.

Aroma: I 'm picking up the malt first, then the yeast. Hops won't come into play in this. Some fruit at first, some sweetness, then the oak, and then the wine. A blend of sweet and sour, for a while, cherries are foremost, but there's greater depth, a wonderful mix brought on both by the yeast interaction and the barrel aging.

Taste: Loads onto the palate simply plump and full with flavor. Richness of malt, blended with the barrel's work. What was already a delicious Belgian-style ale, goosed up a bit by this new sugar injection, is taken to new places with the wine barrel's contributions. Sweet, then dry, with just a slight addition of sour. Long-lasting flavors, very satisfying, complex, and delicious. Never gets boring, never dulls, stays fresh and unexpected on the tongue. Love it. Absolutely wonderful. But, no, it's not "a sour", what it is, is more than that.

Capital T Terrific stuff. Drinking from tap at the Blue Nile, where we were lucking to get a keg. Otherwise it's been an exclusive at the taproom for the past month. Why is this limited brew still around for so long. This is so amazing, it's fame should have rightfully spread, and bonafide beer geeks should have been storming their gates and drinking these kegs dry.

Every brewery needs more accidents like this.