Mo'Bretta Rosé
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Appearance: Fairly cloudy with a reddish violet color that appeals to me. A modest-sized off-white head that slowly faded. A good-looking wild ale.

Smell: Tart fruit notes with some mild funk notes. The nose also has some sweet floral aromas which work nicely with the other elements of the nose.

Taste: I pick up mildly tart raspberry notes, some moderate citrus notes, and some very faint grassy/notes. The flavor notes play very well with each other. The beer starts out with just a hint of sweetness but dries out nicely with some tart raspberry notes.

Mouth-feel: Fairly light-bodied with a modest level of carbonation. The mouthfeel is where it should be for a wild ale.

Overall: A tasty and well executed wild ale. The cohesive flavor profile and balanced sourness makes this beer a joy to drink.

With one foot at the edge of wine country and the other firmly in the town of Brussels, Firestone Walker's sour rosé ale is as big of a part of the brewery's beer making as IPA and stout.

Mo'Bretta Rosé pours both neon pink and pastel blush while crowning with a partly fizzy, partly foamy light and rosy froth. With an appetizing scent of fresh raspberry flooding the nose, so do the supporting scents of citrus, cider and rosé wine before a dusty, woodsy and cellar-like pungency sets in. A low level sweetness splashes the tongue with the lightness of vanilla wafer, marzipan and taffy in only shortly.

As the ample carbonation and brazen acidity washes away any malt sweetness, the middle palate becomes tightly sour with the undercurrents of lime, lemon, crabapple, gooseberry, white grape and cranberry. But the overcast of raspberries keep the session decidedly fruity with the distinctive red berries and without loosing its unique identity in taste. Trending dry, sharply acidic and jaw tightening, the session closes with a peppery tartness, light woodsy flavor and an extension of dry leather.

Light, crisp and highly refreshing, the sour ale finishes suddenly with a brief echo of balsa, burlap and weathered wood. Not quite lambic, but not quite fruit beer, this rosé sour ale is a perfect blend of both worlds.

Bottle pour - almost clear raspberry color with short pink head leaving a ring of tiny foamy bubbles. Nose is sour and funky. Taste follows with tart raspberry that lingers on the finish.