Cerise Cherry Sour
Rockmill Brewery

 

On draught at the Columbus taproom, sampled from a tasting glass. Slightly hazy pale orange in color, with a light pinkish tinge. This one is all about subtlety. There's nothing in-your-face here. The cherry flavors are understated, as is the sourness. I can imagine a hint of salinity here, but maybe that's just the power of suggestion. Light-bodied and refreshing, with a crisp finish and a umami note lingering on the palate. Overall, a pleasant quaff - with food or without.

Are we sure it's retired? I just got a new six pack of it from a pretty good beer store in Columbus Ohio.
Anyway.
A: Pinkish, maybe a little redding-orange. Decent head and lots of carbonation.
S: Cherry and sugar.
T: Cherry, pretty lip puckering, but pretty sweet for the true sour-heads.
M: Lightish, but heavily carbonated.
O: Like it a lot. A good sessionable cherry sour.

 

750mL bottle, no date, poured into a tulip
A: Light orange, one-finger head, lots of carbonation
S: Cherry, light malt/yeast notes
T: Matches the nose but lighter
M: Light-bodied, can feel the carbonation, a bit tart
O: I'm not sure how fresh this is. Lots I like about it but in the end it doesn't quite bring it all home

 

750 ml corked and caged bottle, purchased at the brewery/taproom about a month ago. Had a glass when I was there and liked it so that's why I bought the bottle. No dating on the bottle that I could find. Served in a Rockmill chalice, the beer pours a hazy gold color with almost an inch off-white head that didn't stick around for too long. Not much lacing. The brew smells like wheat/grainy malt, earthiness, green apple and some cherry. Taste is pretty much just like the aroma, but I do think the cherry is a little stronger in comparison. It does have a decent amount of tartness to it. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's a bit slick but it's also refreshing and easy enough to drink. It's well but also softly carbonated. I thought this was a good brew. It's not a cherry or a sour bomb, but it still has a good amount of tartness and it's enjoyable to drink. Worth a try if you come across a bottle.

 

 

 

 

Served on tap at Rockmill Tavern. When I asked for this, knowing the description, I expected something completely different. It pours a standard straw yellow with a white head. There's no hint of pink color you would expect from cherry additions. The nose lacks cherry, has a hint of tartness and some saison character. The taste has no cherry flavor at all, and is barely tart. I was completely disappointed in this given that it's called a cherry sour. It's kettle soured (I asked the bartender out of curiosity), so there should be a fairly high level of control over the level of sourness. Either they were trying to be cheap with the cherry additions, or were going for something subtle (and failed at that). If you're going to label it a cherry sour, then make the cherry identifiable and make it at least slightly tart.