Across The Nation Ruby Sunset
Central City Brewers + Distillers

Can: Poured a murky pale golden/reddish color ale with a medium foamy head with OK retention. Aroma of tart notes with light pomegranate notes also perceptible. Taste is also a mix of pomegranate notes with some light tart notes. Body is pretty full with good carbonation. Lacking complexity but still enjoyable and probably one of the best from this lackluster mix pack.

 

 

Deliciously tart and fruity, which is right up my alley. Not much to look at really, and a subdued aroma. Not powerfully pomegranate flavoured, more anonymously fruity. A hint of yeast lurking in the background. I like the sourness level, which is approachable, and not something that will twist your mouth out of shape. Maybe helpful as an introduction to the idea of sours. Drinkable.

355 mL can from the LCBO, included in their Across the Nation Collaboration (Out West) mixed pack; dated Apr 3 2018 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a cloudy, translucent orange-amber hue with a tinge of reddish-pink; one centimetre of loose, soapy, off white-coloured head gathers atop before swiftly disintegrating within a minute's time. A frothy collar lasts on, but that's about it, with no cap and very little lacing having been left behind. On the nose, I'm getting bubblegum and pomegranate, along with suggestions of sweet apple flesh, bready wheat malts and a rather understated (at least, for a self-described sour ale) tartness. Vaguely reminiscent of a Belgian pale ale, but not a particularly aromatic one.

I'd describe this brew's flavour as slightly odd, but not entirely unappealing. The tartness is more noticeable here vs. on the nose, with pomegranate coming through relatively clearly; I'm also getting some muddled notes of sour cherry, cranberry and sweet apple. Hints of wheaty pale malt crop up throughout the sip, helping to remind me that I'm actually drinking a beer; very subtle hints of cider vinegar tie up the profile nicely, preceding a lightly sour, fruity aftertaste that doesn't persist long. Medium-light in body, with moderate carbonation levels that froth/foam up in the mouth a tad; feels soft, smooth, almost velvety on the palate. Easy enough to drink, but not what I'd call sessionable.

Final Grade: 3.66, a B grade. Fuggles & Warlock's Ruby Sunset grew on me over the course of the glass, but I still found it to be simply good, falling well short of greatness. In all fairness, this can is pushing five months of age, and this is not a style I'd expect to hold up well in the long-term, so there's a distinct possibility that it has just fallen off a little... unfortunately, I'll never know, because this is presumably a one-off. An interesting brew, but not something I'd be real interested in repeating.

Collaboration Fuggles & Warlock craftworks, canned: Clear, slight veil, amber/orange color with light activity. Slightly foamy beige 1 finger head, lasting around 5 minutes, not much legs nor swirl reaction. Flavors of pomegranate, wild berries, wild yeast, wheat, and floral hops. Slick medium to full body with crispy carbonation. Medium to strong sour finish, quite tart and a bit funky, highly fruity, soft straw but no barrel. Quality selections of fruits but hardly no actual beer flavors which I tend to better in those, so it's close to a Berliner. Freshness is okay but very sour. Overall decent quality craft.

Just a taste.

 

 

 

Pours a hazy dark orange body, with little to no head at the top. The aroma is pretty minimal, but the flavor is distinctly tart with a faintly fruity flavor of pomegranate. The finish is fairly crisp and dry, with a bit of fresh pomegranate and wild yeast acidity lingering on the palate. Really nice and well-balanced sour ale, I'm quite happy with it.

Hazy burnt orange with a modest head. Light fruity, malt nose. Light malt body with considerable tartness. Very refreshing!

The westernmost contribution to this year's across the nation is pretty representative, a collaboration between two great Vancouver operations. Fruit, sour, and pleasant to drink. It starts off promising - nice colour and a bit of white fizz that quickly retreats to the edges of the glass. The nose is really the only place that you get a hint of the showcase fruit, along with a bit of lactic tang. Taste and body are a pleasant mix of sour and malt, a bit thin, which is to be expected with this style. Overall, a pleasant beer that would be a fine addition to any patio on a hot day.

355ml can, part of the 2018 Across the Nation collaboration pack with 12 different Canadian breweries, one from each province and territory. This one involves British Columbia's Fuggles & Warlock, and is a Pomegranate Sour Ale.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium copper amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy off-white head, which leaves some layered streaky lace around the glass as it lazily sinks out of sight.

It smells of gritty and grainy cereal malt, some indistinct dark fruitiness, a faint Belgian yeastiness, and very weak earthy, musty, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is tart pomegranate extract, grainy and crackery pale malt, ethereal yeasty notes, and more well understated earthy, herbal, and dead floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-coating frothiness, the body a so-so middleweight, and generally smooth, with nothing really getting in the way of a genial experience at this particular juncture. It finishes trending dry, the malt starting to dial it in, while the plain red fruity notes equally put 'er in neutral.

Overall - this comes across pretty much as advertised, even if the pomegranate is hard to discern (especially since I've had it maybe once in my lifetime). A pleasant enough sour brew, one that won't scare off newbies, or bore reluctant acolytes such as yours truly.