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Where Spotted: D’Vines, 3103 14th St. NW
Price: $19/750mL
Tart of Gold: With the money I saved by reviewing a malt liquor last week, I thought I’d splurge, and my reward was Lady of the Woods, an oaked and soured version of Cisco’s Grey Lady witbier. Cisco unleashes wild yeast and bacteria on the beer for a strong, rough pucker that overpowers the wheat, and while the result is less refined than its tart Belgian counterparts, it’s an encouraging style to see stateside.
Litter Bugs: In beer, wild critters are often used to impart intentional “off” flavors, from sourdough tartness to farmhouse earthiness. Pretentious practitioners such as myself will throw around terms like “horse blanket” and “barnyard” and really mean it. As I drank this beer, my friend’s cat politely excused himself to use the litter box. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was repulsive. But somewhere deep in my brain, my sensory lobes made a connection between the beer and the offending odor. Just sayin’.