Squeeze Play (Cherry Pie)
Left Field Brewery

 

355 mL can from the LCBO; dated Nov 22 2023 and served barely chilled.

Pours a deep vermilion red colour, its foggy, translucent body briefly capped with half a finger of frothy, foamy, pale pink-tinted head. A thin collar survives all by its lonesome, with no cap or lace to speak of - looks as expected for a cherry sour. Light, sweet cherry fruit on the nose, with hints of amaretto, vanilla, black cherry ice cream and a little bit of cherry yogurt acidity. Nothing in that list really stands out from the rest, but there's enough variety to keep things interesting.

The same can be said of the flavour profile, which decently approximates an actual cherry pie. The lactic acidity is moderate at best, adding some lemony sourness and yogurt-like acidity to the mix; sweet cherries are the only other flavour that really sticks out. Hints of sweet cream and tart cherries on the back end, with suggestions of vanilla and amaretto quickly dissipating into a cherry yogurt tartness that lingers into the aftertaste. Light-medium in body, with fairly low carbonation that adds a little bit of a bite to this brew's otherwise smooth, slightly juicy mouthfeel. Great drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.96, a very respectable B+. Left Field didn't totally nail the 'cherry pie' feel for this Squeeze Play variant, but it's still a tasty sour, and done well enough that I'm willing to happily suspend my disbelief. It manages the pie filling flavours well enough, and I guess I do get a little bit of that flaky pie crust, shortbread-like sweetness - but frankly I would've liked a little more of both. In the end, I don't think it's significantly better or worse than the other Squeeze Plays I've tried over the last couple years - worth a spin if you prefer your fruited sours a little on the sweeter side.