Pomona
Avery Brewing Company

RB transfer

 

 

 

 

This is a true sour. Unlike some others that have tartness on the front end or the backend or somewhere around the middle, this one punches you from the beginning to the very end. Excellent blend of fruit and flavors, and a solid offering from Avery.

This is a solid sour, but I'm not convinced it slots in as a "gose" style beer; this had little of the salt presence that you would expect. But after a recent visit to Avery (June 2021) this regular, canned 6 pack offering of Pomona really stood out even among all the "oddities" of sours that Avery can produce. Refreshing, balanced, one fruit doesn't dominate, and it was just delicious on a hot day after a long half-marathon run. A sour to reach for, over and over.

 

 

 

Good God, Avery reaches for the heavens when creating such divinity in beer making. The goddess of fruit, Ponona leads the hands of the brewers toward blueberry and pomegranate for a dark sour with distinctive barrel-aged character.

Dark mauve and building a loose but creamy slight pink stained froth, the beer entices the nose immediately with a strong tease of dark berries, red wine, peppery acidity and a hint of balsamic. Upon the first sip, a firm malt flavor of hard candy, taffy, condensed juices and berry cobbler make a solid impact early and often.

As the teases and taunts the tastebuds with its brazen sourness, the boldness of lime, grapefruit, and cider lies under the bolder fruits of plum, red grape, cranberry, currant and rhubarb even before the obvious overtones of blueberry and pomegranate additions command the middle palate. Trending peppery, woodsy and moderately tannic, the beer finishes with suggestions of red wine and balsamic vinegar.

Medium light for sour ale, the beer's bold berry flavors are seemingly fuller in texture but the acids lighten the late palate considerably while allowing the beer to finish forgivable acetic and driven by a medium length aftertaste of peppery woods and blueberry.