Stone Fruit Sour Ale
Goose Island Beer Co.

 

(Served in a strange)
A- This beer has a deep yellow hued body with a very slight hazy to it. There is a thick creamy head that last a good bit. There are strands of tiny bubbles that trail slowly to the surface. S- This beer has a clean light mineral sulfury note with a very light peanut hull aroma and a finish with perfume plums that grows a bit as it warms.
T- The faint sulfury banana note is dry with a mineral taste. The dry finish has a light fruit hint that lingers.
M- This beer has a light mouthfeel with a crisp tight fizz in the finish.
D- This beer is very clean and crisp with just a slight fruitiness that adds more mystery than anything else. The fizz does really clean up the finish and it was served a bit cold but the I don't think I could have picked out the fruit if it wasn't written in the description, which isn't a bad thing.

"A golden ale with sun-dried sour yellow plums brewed with chef Michael McDonald of one sixtyblue."

Served in a stange, it was a brilliant gold with a slight orange haze. Collar of lace was present, but there wasn't much retention. Slow trails of visible carbonation.

Aroma was nice, vaguely fruity and yeast dominant. Very fresh and light. Not what i'd associate with plum, but i've never had sour yellow plums to compare.

Refreshing light tartness right off the bat, fairly yeast dominant in the flavor, fruit was evident but understated. Some residual bitterness and fruity yeast flavor in the finish. It was a bit fuller than a traditional Kölsch with slightly less carbonation, though it had a moderately zippy bite. Though a Kölsch yeast was used, this is more of a tart golden ale.

Very refreshing and a definite growler candidate.

A - Not really much head on it, the beer loooks to be a bit flat. Yellowish with a little bit of orange. No real lacing.

S - I didn't know this was a Kölsch, I thought it was a sour. There is some plumb character to it, although yellow would definatley describe it as opposed to a deeper plumb smell. Smells sweet and just a little bit bready.

T - Tastes a litle grassy, with some lemon and honey, mild plumb taste, more jammy than anything, not sour at all. Sweet, light malt profile.

M - Slightly flat, a little syrupy, heavier side of light bodied.

D - Easy to get down, I just don't like this enough to every have it again.

On tap into a tasting glass at GI...A clear and bright light gold, copper tones, a light white head that fades too fast...A sweet yet boring aroma, generic fruity pebbles, no yellow plum notes or sourness, the name is totally off and confusing...The taste shows its really a kolsh, light hops, a little sweet but otherwise dead.

Easy to drink but no point. Totally misleading name. A beer worth skippin.

This was the most recent beer from the Chef's Collaboration series. "A golden ale with sun-dried sour yellow plums brewed with chef Michael McDonald of one sixtyblue." Served in a stange.

A - Pour with a finger of foam that settled to a thin ring, with a few patch of film on top and minimal lace. Slightly hazed golden orange body.

S - This is definitely a Kölsch, and not a "sour". Sharp yeast, and white grape malt character that comes out more as it warms. The plum addition is understated, as it blends well into the already vinous character of the malt.

T - Taste is also heavy on the yeast, with a healthy amount of stone fruits and pale malts mixed in for good measure. There's some slight sourness in the finish that is of the fruit variety rather than from wild yeast.

M - Moderate carbonation, medium body. Fairly clean finish with some light dryness.

D - I easily finished my glass, but I probably wouldn't seek this again any time soon. Would be a good session offering if it was made in larger quantities. Needs more plum flavor to stand out from their regular Kölsch.