Almanac Beer Company Valley Of The Heart's Delight

Hello beer lovers and welcome to another edition of the NorCal Beer Blog's brew review.

Tonight’s featured beer is Almanac Beer Company Valley Of The Heart's Delight - Ale Brewed with Apricots, Loquats, and Cherries and Aged in Used Wine Barrels. I picked up this bottle at one of my favorite bottle shops in the Bay Area, Royal Liquors in San Jose (here).  If you get a chance, head in there and tell ‘em that Mark from NorCal Beer Blog sent you.  You’ll be glad you did – they have an incredible selection!

From the Almanac Beer Company website: “This sour ale is inspired by the agricultural history of the Santa Clara Valley. Long before it became Silicon Valley, it was known as the Valley of The Heart’s Delight, a fertile basin overflowing with fruit orchards. Brewed with foraged apricots, loquats and cherries handpicked by the Garden To Table non-profit, this collaborative beer celebrates and supports their mission to promote urban farming in San Jose.

Farm to Barrel

Our Farm to Barrel beers focus on the eons-old tradition of aging beers in oak barrels. This American wild ale was aged in used wine casks with our house “Dogpatch” sour culture, a cocktail of wild Belgian and American yeasts, including San Francisco sourdough starter. The yeasts slowly morph the beer from a traditional ale into something wild, creating a mild acidic bite as well as pulling oak and vanilla flavors from the barrel. After maturing, the barrels are blended together—creating a vinous, delicate beer that captures the essence of a particular harvest. Farm to Barrel Beers are alive in the bottle, and will continue to mature gracefully for several years.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a hazy light peach color with a nice white head and slight lacing.

Aroma: Fruity and tart, apricots, cherries, citrus, light malts and funk.

Taste: Sour and bright, apricots, grape, cherry, slight yeast funk, citrus, bready malts and a little oak.

Overall: With a nice balance between sour and fruity, Almanac Beer Company Valley Of The Heart's Delight is a delicious beer. This 7% ABV is a must try for fans of the style.  Easy drinking – I highly recommend this one.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

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