Swirl
Indie Ale House Brewing Company

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Apr 30 2024 and served barely chilled.

Pours a foggy, translucent rusty rose colour, boasting an inch of lumpy, foamy, off white-tinted head that fades within two minutes or so. A frothy collar lives on, with a modest smattering of lace deposited after each sip - looks fine so far. Maraschino cherry & cherry juice sweetness on the nose, with lesser hints of real raspberry fruit, bready wheat, grainy malts and subtle lactic character.

It tastes a bit more sour than the aroma let on. Quite tart initially, with lemon, sour cherry and raspberry juice supported by hints of wheaty malts and sweet cherry. The sweet cherry crescendos to the finish, weakening thereafter as it's subsumed by more sour cherry and moderate lactic acidity. No real funk to speak of, with its tart conclusion fading to nil with a few seconds. Light-medium in body, with sharp carbonation that relentlessly prickles the palate during each sip. Average drinkability for the style - its high acidity and active carbonation are detrimental in this regard, but knocking back a tallboy is easy enough.

Final Grade: 3.95, a B+. Swirl isn't one of my favourite Indie Ale House beers, but that's largely because fruited sours aren't really my jam. From an objective standpoint, it's very well-constructed: there's a bit of a pucker factor, but the sweet cherry juiciness provides enough counterbalance to keep the acidity in check. Kriek fans may find some utility here: while it's obviously not the same thing, the cherry, raspberry and potent sourness steer it in the same general direction. This is well above average by my estimates - or at least, better than many of the fruited sours you'll find at the LCBO these days. Worth a try, particularly if you have a soft spot for cherry sours.

At Craft Heads on University Ave. West in nearby downtown Windsor; on tap and chilled, in a flight of four beers. My first beer from the Toronto, ON brewery.