Patio Smasher
Sun King Brewing Company

 

16 ounce can into tulip glass, 2016 vintage. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy peaches, apricot, fruit skin/pits, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of oaken vanilla, leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of peaches, fruity/funky/spicy/acidic yeast, wine barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big sour/tart/tangy peaches, apricot, fruit skin/pits, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, and white bread; with light notes of oaken vanilla, leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruity/wine tang, and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy peaches, apricot, fruit skin/pits, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, melon, red/green apple, white grape/wine, oak, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, white bread, leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of peaches, fruity/funky/spicy/acidic yeast, wine barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tartness, tangy fruit, and yeast/oak spiciness balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Moderately crisp finishing. Moderate increasing dryness from lingering tartness, tangy fruit, yeast/oak spiciness, and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately bready/grainy, and acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.4%. Overall this is an awesome fruited sour/wild ale. All around awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of peaches, fruity/funky/spicy/acidic yeast, wine barrels, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and pretty refreshing to drink with the modestly tart/tangy/tannic/drying finish; not overly lactic. Awesome balance of juicy/jammy fruit, and Brett/Bacteria complexity; with great wine barrel presence, and pale/wheat malts against acidity. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp drying. A really enjoyable offering, and impressive style example.

 

 

S: peach pies with fresh peaches, light honey and pie crust the dominant aroma. Behind the pie lurks sour aromas with floral and traces of barnyard.

L: slightly hazy gold with a light amber tint. Streams of bubbles rush to the top to feed a 1" off-white to cream colored foam cap that has moderate retention.

T: complex and layered. A hint of honey in the front of the mouth dissolves into peaches as soon as it advances on the tongue melding with sour and drying on the finish. There is a lightly sweet pie crust in the background. Tannins from the peaches provide some dryness and enhance the body. A light bitterness from the hops works with the tannins to provide balance. The peach and funk work well together with the peach flavors moving from fresh to slightly over ripe by the finish. Fruit, sour and pie crust are well balanced with the funk acting as a spice. The flavors coat the mouth, collect and slightly intensify as you drink and delightfully linger.

F: light to medium light with moderately high carbonation and a slight astringency on the finish from the peaches.

O: With Patio Smasher, Sun King demonstrates how well peaches and beer go together.

 

A lovely peach sour. The earthy, well-blended aroma reminds me of something from a gueuze house, and the peach sweetness wonderfully matches the tart lemon acidity. Probably too subtle for some of my fellow beer nerds, but yes, I'd gladly drink this on a patio.

Pours a hazy golden color. No head. Aroma, is funk, tart, lemony. Taste, quit sour. And a little bit of a peachy taste in the end. Has a slight yeasty finish to it. Very bubbly sudsy carbonated feel. Overall, sour? Check. peaches? Not really so much. Pretty solid sour. Not fruited to the degree it effects much.

 

A- Pale yellow-orange with thin white head that dissipates quickly
S- Tartness, vinegar, maybe a bit of stone fruits- makes the mouth start watering immediately
T- Slight tartness, stone fruits, bit of peach-o sweetness, fades fairly quickly for a sour
F- A bit on the thinner side for my preference, but makes it easy drinking. Carb is a touch on the higher side
O- Easy drinking sour. Balance of sweet and sour.