Frika Fruta
Big Rig Brewery

Tallboy from the LCBO; no canning date, served slightly chilled.

Pours a mostly clear golden-yellow hue, strewn with fine particles of sediment; it produces one finger of bubbly, soapy white head that dissipates within two minutes or so. A narrow ring of lacing is deposited in its wake, with a frothy collar and filmy cap also surviving - looks fine to me. Plenty of pineapple juice on the nose, with the pink guava adding a complementary tropical fruit sweetness; a little doughy, but not particularly tart/sour.

Mostly fruity and sweet, with mild tartness. Pink guava and doughy malts right off the bat, with tart, juicy pineapple flavours developing and persisting to the back end. Hints of fruit cocktail orange and grapefruit at the finish, with guava fruit punch lingering into a fruity, tangy aftertaste. It's saccharine, but the tangy and acidic notes are enough of a diversion to prevent it from being too cloying - I actually found it very quaffable on a balmy July night. Medium-light in body, with middling carbonation levels that add fluffiness to this brew's smooth, satisfying mouthfeel.

Final Grade: 3.83, a B+. I've reviewed way too many kettle sours over the past two months, and the least I can say for Big Rig's Frika Fruta is that it's unique and distinct from all of them. The pineapple and guava flavours both pop nicely, in addition to being complementary to begin with - meanwhile, the acidity/sourness comes through as more of a tangy tartness, so I think most fans of (non-sour) fruit beers could probably enjoy this, too. There aren't a ton of solid pineapple sours in this neck of the province, so I see myself buying this again.