Sixfold II: Tart Cherry Sour
West Sixth Brewing Company

 

Tart, crisp and clean, the second installment of West Sixth's Sixfold series lands at a lactic simplicity and a cherry infused element of complexity.

Sixfold II pours with the bright mauve color that's expected of cherry ale. Its fine haze and wisping swath of sea foam roll onto the senses with the tartness of dry cider, white wine, faint must and a billowing perfume of tangy cherries. Its taste is lightly candied and redolent of cherry cobbler or fruit filled tarte.

As the ale unfolds on the middle palate, its sweet and candied taste dissolves effortlessly and leaves the moderately sour, clean and dedicated fruitiness to command the taste. Green apple, green grape, under ripened berry, gooseberry and kiwi roll underneath the overcast of red cherries for a fruity medley that's much more than fruit beer. A light finish of bitterness and mustiness offer just enough reprieve from fruit and a peppery balance to offset the tanginess.

Medium bodied and continually wheaten, the beer's clean and refreshing taste is supported with those light pastry influences while trending dry, spicy and pleasantly acidic. A brief afterglow of cherry and wheat apply gentle echoes after the finish. Sixfold II is an ultimate summer sipper.