Strawberry Rhubarb
Scratch Brewing Company

Wild, berry-like and laced with subtleties of rhubarb, Scratch Brewing’s wild ale is truly made from scratch.

With a billowing yeasty golden pour, Strawberry Rhubarb races to the rim with a bubbly champagne froth. As the foam settles, the taunting scent of brazen sourness laces with dried citrus, attic woods, weathered oak and milder hints of saddle leather and mossy funk. Any sweetness is shy with communion wafer and sourdough.

As the flavors unfold, the scant sweetness evaporates quickly off the palate and the fruitiness shines. First, the underlying sourness of lime, lemon, grapefruit, crabapple and white grape set the tone before the subtle juiciness of strawberry and rhubarb give the late taste a rounded nuance of added fruit. Peppery, sour and dry, the session finishes with hints of burlap, woodsy bitterness and dry rose wine.

Light, crisp and able to erase the thirst with ease, the nearly lambic-like ale evaporates off the palate from its bubbly acidity and its strong attenuation rates, resonating only in a brief afterglow of sourdough, fruit essence and burlap.

 

2023 vintage; drank 12/7/23 @ the Yarchives.

Despite sitting upright in a fridge for weeks, this was an absolute GUSHER when opened.

Opaque dull orange appearance.

An even pour yielded a HUGE, noisy white head which quickly dissipated; minimal lacing remained.

Tart strawberry, faint rhubarb & sharp lemon notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Tart strawberry, tart lemon & faint rhubarb flavors.

This is just too sour for this timid soul. And be careful opening a bottle.

 

 

 

 

The look and smell are spot on. You can smell that this will be much more tart than my other favorite strawberry rhubarb from New Glarus. While that beer is sweeter and lends itself to be enjoyed one after another next to the pool, the tartness of Scratch’s effort makes me want to savor each sip of it. And at the price I paid (I think about $17?, I better enjoy it.) I have to admit that I find the origin story a bit too hipster precious for me. However, I won’t bold it against me rating and I’ve super happy and proud to call them from my home state. Taste wise it’s tart but not overly so. The fruit flavors are certainly there but not as forward as they are in a New Glarus sour. I’m excited to have tried this but I’m not sure I’ll get it again at the price to be honest.

I keep picking up strawberry rhubarb sours, hoping they will really capture the sweet tartness of the fruits but have always been left disappointed.... until now! This one nails both the strawberry and rhubarb in both smell and taste. Smell is the fruits, unadulterated. The taste has earthy yeast, wild flowers, light funk, acidity and sour oak. Not overly sour, tart or complex, just luscious in juicy strawberry rhubarb flavor, very smooth and drinkable.

 

 

 

 

 

L - light red, fizzy white head falls off quickly after the pour
S - vinegar, strawberry rhubarb pie filling, funk in the background
T - fresh strawberry, tart almost lactic sour, rhubarb
F - not overly tart, good medium carb, a faint acidic burn on the swallow
O - really wonderful sour, the strawberry in particular adds so much to make this a good refreshing summer drink

One of the best sours I've ever had. An amazing body that is not over poweringly sour.

 

like literally every single scratch beer i have ever had, this is positively gorgeous, bright pinkish stained glass looking from the bottle, more clear than any other sour ive had from them, until the final inch of it, rising white head like champagne, and beautiful radiance. the nose is so natural i think it trumps any other strawberry beer ive ever had, sweet for sure, but strawberries are sweet, and if you want your beer to taste like them, there probably has to be some sugar, and there is here, no problem. its balanced in the aroma by the piquant crunchy rhubarb, which is tart for sure, about on par with the yeast in this one, jam and pie and all the good things these two ingredients do together! brilliant really. the flavor is like that too, more from the ingredients than some of their more subtle brews strawberry first and last, rhubarb in the middle, all so real. the grain aspect of this is hard to appreciate with all the fruit and yeast, but the body is mellow and light, pushed along by high carbonation and doing enough to make this not taste like juice or wine. i realize that i dont maybe love the scratch wild culture as much as some others out there, its weirdly acidic and earthy in a mushroom sort of way, its better in this beer than others, and it sure is unique, but its not always my favorite in the finish of some of their sours. strawberries for miles in the finish, something honest and rustic and just old school and brilliant about this beer. well worth the asking price! one ageing in the cellar too, we will see what time does for it...

edit: well, two years plus in the cellar hasnt improved this any, it seems largely the same, maybe a little more sharp and vinegar forward, maybe a little more earthy still, fallen leaves and forest floor tones in this now, and it has dried out a little, but the fruit still pops and the complexity remains outrageous, this hasnt sunken in on itself or anything, despite a little oxidation. maybe i preferred it slightly when fresh, and this isnt likely to hold on forever, but its done just fine over a couple of years. man i love these guys, which i had better access to their beers. this, like all of them, is absurdly unique! a fun one to pop on the fourth of july with my father in law after he helped me build some shelving for the cellar!