Alpha Hop Society: Blackberry Sour
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

 

im pretty sure this is my first beer from the alpha hop society, which seems like a rad little program that i would love to get more involved with, thankful to have had this apparent rarity shared with me, stoked on these wild beers from sierra nevada, not enough of them ever seem to get out of the brewery. three different wild yeasts in here too, such a thoughtful beer, real mature too. pretty stained glass pink color to it, clear through the first part of the bottle, fizzy white head on top. aroma here is super sour, really tangy both from the fruit and a strong bacterial element, lactic but there is some wood and bretty funk here as well, lightly farmy, but lemon pucker dominates, sexy with the fruit, but immediately a modest pour seems like enough. the blackberry is natural and forward, but its one of many elements in play, neat medicinal sort of funkiness to this, sweet oak, and lots of citrus too to me. there is a red wine flavor in the mix here too, light stone fruit, plum skins, and even blueberry, nice complexity and depth. its sweet up front but dry in the finish, slightly thin in feel but well carbonated, somehow feels a little stronger than it actually is. some mustiness in the wood, a lightly jammy or concentrated thing to the fruit, and lots of sourness. solid overall, unique enough to stand out, and a fun one to drink from the rarer side of sierra. i need to track down some more from this alpha hop society range of beers!

Had on tap. Taste is simpler, sour blackberry with some wheat and complex oak backings. But the depth and quality of the beer is felt through out. Great barrel despite brighter fruit, good sour and tartness through out, and very drinkable. Smell is more potent than the taste over the long haul.