Virtue (Marionberries & Raspberries)
Fremont Brewing Company

375mL bottle into a tulip. Pours a slightly hazy ruby amber with a 1/2-finger head that subsides to a nice ring around the edge of the glass, sustained by vigorous carbonation.

Aroma is sweet and fruity with the smell of overripe raspberries. Nicely tart and enticing.

Taste is likewise a combination of fruity sweet and tart. Berries in spades. Lots of dry oak on the finish. Super refreshing and tasty.

Mouthfeel is light and dry, evaporates off the palate. So drinkable.

Overall a really nice sour from Fremont. They're getting good at almost any beer they try to make, and more versatile than many breweries. Outstanding.

 

part of their black heron project series of wild ales, i had no idea they were up to anything of the sort, and the packaging on this is as sexy as the beer, something i have never seen from fremont, i hope they keep these coming! this is an awesome little funky base, a golden sour with a lot of oak and a mixed fermentation vibe, funky and mature, but also quite delicate, its clean on the bacterial side and dry from the brett, really nice. the fruit is fabulous too, both fresh and forward, giving this a nice deep pink stained glass glow, and adding both a little tartness and a little summery sweetness, overall i thought this was incredible, although maybe somewhat less distinct on the fermentation, good as it is, its not all that unique there. that said, this is lovely beer, easy to drink, not too acidic, nice and complex without the fruit overtaking it, with a really well developed brett profile, mouthwatering pucker, and tidy lemony character to it. the marionberry is ripe and distinctive, raspberry has some tang of its own and is also forward in the mix, high level funk to the nose, more balance in the flavor. real light body, upbeat carbonation, real easy to drink. the fruit combination is money, the overall quality is enormous, and even though the yeasts arent as unique as i hoped for, i like their profile a lot in this. i hope to try more in this series, this was an awesome and unexpected treat! i bet this ages super well, i hope to find out!