Highway Queen
Sun King Brewing Company

 

 

 

Tasting notes of tart berries, raspberry, Zinfandel red wine grapes, cherries, oak, dry tannins

Deep cherry red with less then a finger of white head that becomes a thin layer. Aromas of cherry, raspberry, tart funky acid, cola, oak, straw, and earth. The flavor starts with cherry, raspberry, grape, grape skins, and green apple, followed by a lactic acidity that washes over the tongue. The acidity is prominent but not overwhelming. Finishes dry with some lingering acidity and grape skin/wood. A great sour that showcases a variety of fruit with balance and restraint.

 

Good head production and retention. Crystal clear reddish-brown body.

Nose features berries, light funk, rustic wheat, but little presence of any tannic or vinegar-like sourness. Raspberries, cherries, and grapes are all noticeable, in roughly equal strengths.

Much more sour on the palate, but really driven by intense raspberry notes up front, supplemented by the grapes. After the initial tart shock has kind of worn off, there's a very mild rustic funk, along with grainy wheat; the raspberries return with a slightly sweet kiss of flavor minus the strong tartness imparted up front.

Not getting much of the cherry; I feel like it's adding to the overall profile, like in a fruit punch, but they don't really stand out. The unique semi-dry quality of zinfadel grapes definitely manages to stand out against the raspberries. Complementary and restrained oak tones.

While at first it comes across as moderately-to-highly sour, it only takes a couple of sips to adjust - and this is not a vinegary-sharp American sour, with the tartness mostly driven by the fruit.

Crisp and lip-smacking. A very tasty low-ABV sour ale.

Loosely modled after the Flander's style of sour ale, Cigar City teams up with Sun King for a unique beer that uses fruits of grapes, cherries and raspberries before a nice long slumber on French oak.

Russet brown and with a heavy rusty red hue, the cloudy beer crowns with a tepid short froth. Teasing the nose with sourness and spice, the fruit aromas hinge on tartness before revealing a candied sweet scent. Its candy influence extends onto the tongue with suggestions of taffy, hard candy, cola and berry juice boxes.

Holding onto a decent measure of sweetness and cobbler maltiness, the ale soon prefers its more tart personality as bold notions of bordeaux wine, cider and cherries hint toward balsamic intensity. Backing off of any vinegar impressions, the beer's bitter woodsiness comes through in the end for balance and complexity.

Moderately astringent, the wood spices and berry skins act as a wine-like balancing act but with a spicy hop bitterness as well. The residual sugars of malt remain on the palate like cola as the finish is toasty, moderately sour and nutty sweet into a medium length aftertaste.