Beer Review: Chez Monus

Reviewing Chez Monus from Alpine Beer Company out of Alpine, California. 

Score: 92

October 2013 vintage bottle served in a Perennial Artisan Ales taster glass and enjoyed on 04/29/14, celebrating Adrienne W.'s birthday (happy birthday Adrienne!). Review is from iPhone notes.

Appearance: Pours a vibrant and cloudy orange-tangerine color with yellow fade towards the edges. No head or lacing, but what a lovely color. 4.75/5

Smell: Smells a lot like the peachy syrup/juice that canned peaches come steeped in, blended with wine. Light apricot character, particularly following the Noyaux we just drank. Has an apparent vinegar-like acidity and stock American wild ale sour character akin to an Upland sour, but done better. Has a slight grassy/drank character too. Quite nice. 4.5/5

Taste: Peach syrup, apricot (more so than the nose) and vinegar, with a distinct wine character to finish. Lingering peach and apricot. Tastes like an Upland sour where the acidity/lacto/vinegar is muted relative to an Upland sour, but still strong and not integrated quite as well as the better Uplands are. I really love the peach syrup flavor here, but this beer is too sharply vinegary to be truly excellent. Not very complex. 4/5

Mouthfeel: Juicy medium-light mouthfeel, with a good carbonation level and very dry finish. Tart and vinegary. 3.5/5

Overall: I would have thought that this was an Upland sour if I did not know any better. The peach character on this beer is really nice and more intense than Fuzzy, but the sharp and acidic vinegar and sour lacto character holds it back from true greatness (no one tell this to Todd Oliver, though) and induces a little bit of heart burn. Pass me the Tums please.

Cost: $19.99 for a 500 ml bottle.