Tommie Sjef Cuvée

REGION: Den Helder, NL
SIZE: 750ml / ABV: 7.8%

IYKYK. RARE AF.

This vintage of Cuvée is a blend of extensively macerated beer on Pinot Blanc grapes, some fresher beer on Muscat grapes and a touch of spontaneously fermented wine of Olasz Rizling grapes. The result is an aromatic, appetizing wild ale with a rich acidity and dry finish. In the nose I detect lychee, melon, elderflower which comes from the Muscat grapes. Further on – white almond, also some tangerine, honey, and a pronounced brett aroma, like hay and barnyard, but in a complementary way. Also in the taste the lychee and melon are present, together with a fruity, firm acidity and a slight and pleasant astringency from the wood and tannins of the grapes. There is also a certain spiciness and minerality coming from the pinot blanc grapes. Cuvée ends dry, with some oak and mineral and citrus notes.

Tommie Sjef is a beer blendery from Den Helder, the Netherlands. We make wild ales which are fermented and aged in wooden barrels. All our beers are fermented using our own wild yeast and bacteria culture. This gives the beer, after extensive ageing — 1,5 up to 4 years — in oak barrels, its typical slightly sour taste, and eccentric aromas. A bottle of Tommie Sjef often contains a blend of beers originating from a selection of barrels, differing in age. Every barrel develops differently, each showing its unique characteristics. It is the art of blending to add balance, depth and joy.