Sour Murren River
Al's of Hampden / Pizza Boy Brewing

Valley Road Enterprises / Pizza Boy Brewing "Sour Murren River"
16 fl. oz. can, "CANNED ON 06/08/20 12:24"

Notes via stream of consciousness: So is this a sour version of their "Murren River IPA"? I would guess it is, but I'm not even sure that I've had the original. Anyway, it's a very hazy golden-orange body beneath a finger's width of white foam. The aroma suggests acidity and has a touch of mineral character to it along with some citrusy notes. The taste follows with lemon at the forefront of the citrus, followed by orange and pink grapefruit. There's a little bit of passionfruit in there as well. It's tart, fruity, and refreshing - but not too tart! It's not bitter but with the acidity it finishes dry. In the mouth it's medium to medium-light in body and gently crisp. The head didn't hold up, and thus there's no lacing left behind, but that's to be expected of a sour beer and it did perform better than average. It's a little bit hard to complain about this beer. It's got everything a sour IPA should be, and it's got a great balance. Really well done!
Review #7,832

Poured into a narrow pilsner style glass: color is gold, hazy/opaque, head is off white with fine bubbles, and presents 1/2 inch thick and lingers well with a solid top and some lacing on the glass.

Smell is quite enticing and interesting with notes of lemon, citrus, lactic acid, light malt with a pilsner like lean, then hop like fruitiness with tropical notes, grapefruit pith.

Taste follows with similar notes of lemon, citrus, lactic acid, malt grain flavor, and malt sweetness, hop characteristics linger and present as grapefruit and tropical fruit, light herbal notes and even a tea like subtly.

Mouthfeel is crisp, moderate carbonation, low/moderate sweetness, then puckering sourness but not overdone - sourness balanced by the hop bitterness. This is exemplifies sour ipa style to me.

Overall a great sour IPA - the sour/malt/hop balance is very good with each presenting clearly but also intermingling well.

 

 

 

 

 

16 Ounce can....canned 3 hours prior to drinking. Seemed flat with no visible head at all. Decent tropical notes on the nose. Tastes like a typical sour but almost a vinegar taste. Where's the Murren river hops? I had this one from the initial batch and it was a winner. This batch is a miss! Next time I'll pass at $18 for a 6 pack.

 

 

Though I never tried the regular version of this I found this at beermuda for five bucks a pint. Color was a very light yellow slight orange tone with a nice half inch of foam making for great lacing. Smell was actually very floral and Hoppy not getting many tart notes at all. Taste was a completely different Beast very sour yet balanced with the hop profile and a clean finish. Kind of a chore to finish after a while. Overall a decent sour IPA but I couldn't see myself ordering it again