Heaven Scent
Somerville Brewing Company (Slumbrew)

Cloudy, apricot juice look minor head which leaves few spots for lace.

It smells like a blend of grapefruit, pineapple, and what I would describe as cut cactus -- a unusual aroma that I can't identify otherwise.

Very tart on the tongue, a bit like an unsweetened lemonade. I also get some grapefruit. No sweetness at all. Good body with a high carbonation level. The swallow is lip smacking but it fades quickly in the aftertaste.

 

 

Purchased cold - 16oz undated can (come on now folks, that's a bit ridiculous) - Poured into an English pub glass

L - Pours a hazy, muddied looking orange-amber. Two finger, dense foamy head on a mildly aggressive pour, dissipating rapidly down to a half finger head that lingers momentarily on top of the beer before disappearing completely and leaving no lacing whatsoever as it goes down.

S - Big, bold passion fruit nose, there is also a very faint odor of what I could only describe as new shoe smell.

T - Bretty sour funk, the passion fruit is coming through large and in charge. Definite acidity, and some salinity with a muted bready malt.

F - Light-medium body, with very fine carbonation.

O - I'm just not a fan of brettanomyces despite loving sour beers, however I did enjoy the complex flavor on this one (I actually had to stop and think about what it was I was tasting). This is my first offering from slumbrew despite living in the same state, it makes it to my area very infrequently. I noticed this beer needs a soft swirl in the can before opening/pouring and a bit of swirling as it rests to keep the trub and other particles incorporated. This beer is good, but I could do without the funk and a bit more sour.

Had a can of this a few weeks ago and just went out to the store and found a four-pack, so I definitely enjoyed it. In fact, this might be the only new beer by Slumbrew I've enjoyed since they switched to cans. I've been a fan for a few years but there have been notable issues with some of their 16 oz offerings recently... enough so that I've drain-poured several, which caused me to write them off. Thanks to Kelly at Craft Beer Cellar for recommending this one to me, which got me to begrudgingly rescind my Slumbrew blacklisting!

Pours a 100% opaque dirty amber color with a really surprising, voluminous head of bone-white foam. Though it dies down very quickly to about a finger and leaves little to no lacing behind as it does so, it still impressed me for the time that it was present. The ruddy color and marginally "ugly" appearance do little justice to the impressive beer beneath, however.

Nose has a lot of impressive, sweet and tropical passion fruit upfront... it practically leaps out of my glass and the can as it pours. Slightly sweaty/plastic-y note that I've found in a lot of passion fruit beers but I'm used to it at this point and think it's probably just something that comes with the territory of the fruit. Slight lemon and orange/tangerine acidity and citrus aspects here as well. Very slight berry as well... has an astringent quality in the nose. Maybe herbal or saline in character (not sure if this has anything else added to it other than passion fruit, but it strikes me as a little bit gose-like). Moderate wheat/crackery malt as well.

Flavor is intensely sour and puckering with a sweet and juicy, ripe passion fruit flavor. Delicious! The body is heavy and carbonation is on the lower side with a rather chewy and viscous finish that nevertheless leaves the palate wanting more. Slight cranberry and lemon-like lacto tartness with some papaya and pineapple-like notes... just a lot of beautiful, evocative tropical fruit with a surprisingly complex profile going on here. Incredibly fun-to-drink beer and perfect for Summer. Though it has a heavier body than most, its average ABV and bright tartness guarantees it will please any sour beer drinker with its convincing and genuine passion fruit flavor. I guess I'll give Slumbrew a few more chances now!