San Marco Sour
Aardwolf Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

Meh. Kinda disappointed. I’m excited to try other beers from this brewery but with this being their most well known beer, it’s mediocre. Sure, it’s a bit tart, but the finish and flavor are just plain. Oh well.

 

 

 

 

 

Straight pour from a 1L flip-top, amber glass growler to a 10oz stemmed tasting glass (TH stemware). This was filled two days before consumption at the source, and promptly went into the fridge until drinking. (Notes transcribed later, after taking them.) Freshy-fresh(ish).

Appearance (4.0): Two fingers of dense, pillowy, oatmeal-colored foam rise off of the pour, capping a honey-gold, slightly hazy body. The head dies down fairly slowly for a sour, and leaves essentially no lacing. I’m a stickler for head and lacing, but this certainly befits the style.

Smell (3.75): Straight-forward sour aromas: lemon juice, a plain Greek yogurt-type of lactic scent, and a nice, dry body of cereal-rich malt. Pain de campagne, oyster crackers, a bit of orange sweetness, and a bundt cake vibe round out the nose, adding some malt depth and a bit of richer fruitiness that comes out as it warms.

Taste (4.25): More vibrant and fruit than the nose, it takes the same flavor elements contributed by the malt body and adds apricots, tangerine flesh, a bit of tangy limeade, and replaces the yogurt-like lactic tones in the nose with lemon icing. Unexpected but very pleasant peppery undertones pop up toward the back of the palate before finishing with a clean, sour twang that sticks around. Much, much more fruit-forward—but tastefully so—than the nose. Goddamn, this is a clean drinker, and so refreshing.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Exceedingly drinkable. The feel follows the body in putting emphasis on the juicy fruit character, eschewing the puckering sourness hinted at in the nose. Still, this is quite dry, aiding the thoroughly medium weight of the body in avoiding a syrupy feel. Fantastic. Modest carbonation comes in soft, tingles as it settles in, and prickles briefly as it washes out.

Overall (4.25): I love San Marco Sour. This isn’t the first time I’ve had this beer, and it’s far from the last. It’s unassuming at first, but it grows on you quickly if you let it. Great on its own, but fruited versions (like their Apricot treatment of San Marco Sour) are a can’t-miss. Excellent work, Aardwolf!

 

 

 

 

 

4oz pour from brewery.