Cocoa Berry
Prairie Artisan Ales

This is my first Imperial Pastry Sour. It may be my last. Simply because for me, there's too many flavors and a higher (costly) alcohol content. I love the fruits featured in this brew, however, the cocoa and marshmallow flavors ruin it. I saw that it was highly rated here which prompted me to try it. I bet that for an Imperial Pastry Sour, it's excellent. Just learned that they're not what I like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ordered from Tavour, chilled, poured into a goblet.

Look: Pours a deep ruby red, almost like red wine, with a small ring of foam around the edge. No head and no lacing.
Smell: Smells fruity, like berry juice or candied dried fruit, followed by some chocolate notes and a little marshmallow. Smells delicious!
Taste: Taste follows the smell. Light sour up front, fruity (not sure we get all the fruit they list, no lime, no lemon and grapefruit is a stretch... orange is there, raspberry and blueberry are the bulk of the flavor), trailing notes of cocoa, then far trailing marshmallow that go on for a while. No booze (7.9) and no hop presence.
Feel: Light and refreshing, light tickle of carbonation that doesn’t hang out while the beer warms.

Prairie is always an interesting beverage... we got this one because of the fruity coco vibe they describe and this beer is exactly as described minus the differentiation of the lime and lemon. The coco and raspberry/blueberry mix is interesting (chocolate covered fruit flavors). A lot of the Prairie beers are boozy, but this one was light and refreshing.

Cheers everyone.

like one in a million this should be good, maybe even less, but i ordered it because its prairie and i still remember the highs, and sure enough, it is good, against literally all odds. how something like this could be anything more than a gimmick or a novelty seriously requires the perfect storm, but here it is. the base beer is very good, more alive from the tap than others have been from the can if its all the same base sour, less sour to me too, drier, more refined, all of that, and its a wonderful starting point, not real acidic and very clean for what it is. next the flavors have to almost meld together, and they do, i dont taste one fruit above another, except maybe orange, but its all a kind of piquant fresh almost candied thing, i doubt its all real fruit, but it tastes good so it doesnt matter, it kind of has to be this way. they could have stopped there and been successful. weird that they felt the need to add cocoa nibs and whatever toasted marshmallow flavor is, doesnt sound natural, but both elements work, the cocoa adds bitter earthiness in the place of any appreciable malt or hops, and the marshmallow is oddly unifying, hints of vanilla and confectioners sugar to it, offsetting some sourness and making the fruit pop, it somehow works because an impossible balance is found. i also cannot believe how well hidden the alcohol is. this is weirdly cohesive and impossible not to enjoy, somehow i suspect that draft is better than the cans, but i was really impressed with this, as annoyingly modern as it is, its better than any of its peers, not that it really has any with this mix of ingredients, very cool beer, way way way ahead of my expectations!

12 oz can into a tulip.

Pours a clear, deep ruby color with 2 fingers of effervescent cotton candy head. No lacing and poor retention, as to be expected from this style. Just a gorgeous color.

The aroma smells like "Blue Razz" flavored pop rocks with a little bit of chocolate and marshmallow. Not picking up any citrus notes.

The flavor is kind of a mess. There's a bit of chocolate and marshmallow here, as well as some berry fruit juice. Still not picking up any citrus.

The feel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Too thick and lacks the crisp dryness expected of the style.

Overall, not feeling this one. The flavors listed on the can are intriguing, but it's nearly impossible to pick up any of the citrus notes. The chocolate and marshmallow is nice, but really doesn't work with the berry flavors. Not really tart, or sour. Just kind of...muddled. Meh.

 

 

 

The beer is a clear ruby color with a pink head that recedes quickly.
Nice aroma. Berries, cocoa, and marshmallow.
Taste a little lacking. Berries, mostly, marshmallow and cocoa. Really couldn't get the citrus.
Tart, not sour. Crisp and refreshing.

Good head production and reasonable retention for the style. Body pours a shockingly bright and vibrant purplish red, settling into a darker, murky raspberry puree-like appearance in the glass.

Nose is impressively tart and sweet. It's impossible to pick out all of the individual fruity tones added, but berries are a strong presence, along with the chocolate and marshmallow which provide a sweet, thick base for the sharper fruit notes.

A touch thick on the palate, but that should be expected for an "imperial pastry sour." Still plenty lively. Not particularly sour, although it leans tart; mild pucker and low tannins.

Flavor doesn't deliver on the promise of the aroma. The chocolate, marshmallow, and fairly high malt body (7.9% ABV) present a toasty, grainy framework, not unlike a lightly sweet dessert cracker with a touch of chocolate and salt. The fruit provide a nice tartness and berry-like sweetness, but once again, the kitchen sink approach results in a muddled melange of flavors instead of anything distinct and unique. The citrus is noticeable but not particularly sour, and while I get some noticeable grapefruit, the orange and lemon are lost in the overall citrus flavor.

A pleasant enough beer, but not one I'll revisit after this four-pack.