Anyone lucky enough to attend the first Blobfish Festival – a celebration of all things sour, wild and funky – in 2019 would have found much to tantalise their taste buds. Of the many beers to delight mine was a blueberry-laden, barrel-aged affair from La Sirène, an offering so delightful I sent a few mates over to give it a go.
It seems the brewers were fans too, with a new version of the beer returning as the Alphington operation's last limited release of 2020. The backstory to this version saw a wild ale co-fermented with Victorian chardonnay grapes in French oak puncheons for 11 months before spending a further three in oak with blueberries. And it takes only the quickest of glances, sniffs, or sips to be certain they didn't hold back on the blueberries.
Pouring a glorious deep crimson with a soft pink head, Cuvée Bleu is awash with fulsome, juicy, fruity, almost jam-like berries from start to finish. Texturally, there's a viscosity balanced by the acidity, hints of creamy oak, and plenty of moreish deliciousness. It was a fine way for them to sign off on 2020; having got to it a little late, it's been a fine way for me to ease into 2021.
James Smith
Published January 17, 2021 2021-01-17 00:00:00
