Sixfold IV: American Sour Ale
West Sixth Brewing Company

 

 

 

With their fourth anniversary in full swing, the ale to celebrated the moment is one of funk and fauna, fruit and spice, sour and earth. With four years under their belt, West Sixth's sour and barrel programs seem in good hands.

Sixfold IV pours hazy gold with lighter straw tinted margins. A short creamy sea foam blows in from the turbulence of champagne-like carbonation. Once expelled, the ale's sourness ravishes the nose with its pungent earthiness, its supple candied sweetness and its acute and acidic fruit tones to tighten the jaws and to wet the palate from its scent alone. To taste, its a soft powdered sugar with the modest wheaten backdrop to offer a soft shortcake reprieve from the sourness to come.

The taste explodes on the middle palate, overwhelming with citrus and musk. Leading with lemon and lime, their more dried and weathered properties shining with hints of orange peel, tart berries, white grape, sour crabapple, for added citric acidity. Softened with light pineapple, kiwi and honeydew, there's a juiciness that plays out and keeps the taste from absolute sharpness.

Lightly bittered and well-attenuated, the beer's light body has a crisp and clean sourness that promoted dryness, crispness and utmost thirst quenching refreshment. Moderate echoes of saddle leather, sea brine, damp burlap, chardonnay and oak all appreciate a post finish afterglow.