Scourge
Off Color Brewing

750ml bottle, bottled about 6 months ago

Pours a finger of brown head into a stemless wine glass. A little fizzy, and it fades within a minute. Initial lacing looks below average. Body is pitch black. Looks subpar so far.

Nose is chocolate, slight umami, but not bad. A little odd that there is any umami at all considering that usually points to oxidation, and this was not barrel aged, although it has been in the bottle for a little bit; upon further research that can apparently be the result of extended contact with yeast as well. Stone fruit notes of plum, fig, and cherry are present too. Smells a little sweet and a little dry, though somehow also very wet. Some alcohol. It smells pretty nice, but not super complex.

Flavor is very robust. Some umami, lots of wood, which I often find accompanying umami. Slightly tart. A little bit of that berry flavor, cherries, maybe some blueberries from these bitchin blueberry skins!? Probably not, but it’s interesting. This drinks pretty damn smooth, considering the flavor and alcohol level. Despite its deep flavor, it’s not overwhelming at all, there is balance to the savory flavors, and there is a light aspect to it. Hard to really put my finger on some of these flavors, but it works pretty well.

Mouthfeel is a big part of things here. Sweetness is pretty tame, not cloying whatsoever, and there is no alcohol presence - very impressive, and it is the backbone for this lighter narrative. Very wet indeed. Body is light. Carbonation is on the lower side. Bitterness is low at first but comes out a little with time. Very very nice mouthfeel.

Drinkability is very impressive.

Appearance turned out poor, zero lacing and no real head.

Overall a really nice take on this style. Different, flavorful, easy drinking. Bam!

 

Not able to find a bottling date, I've spent 15 minutes looking for solid evidence. I found none; so I conclude this is a re-release of Off Color's experiment to use blueberries to ferment this RIS/quad hybrid. Interesting and probably category-busting.

Scourge Looks like a beat-up warrior; not happy (foamy) and has some dark secrets. Smells are above average for those (like me) who want a break from the RIS style's sweet nose. And while Tastes are balanced, the native yeast finally ferments its way to the fore and dries out the finish. Scourge sits curiously in my mouth, but it is rich enough to be in either these heavy styles; but in their lighter spectrum.

I like Off Color more than any brewery on the planet. (Maybe some think that is a curse, but I doubt them.) Off Color is inventive and funny and talented and has several truly great recipes. I don't think Scourge is one of those recipes that will last the test of time (like Apex Predator), but that is the nature of native yeasts... they are temporary.

I will drink the second of my 250ml 4-pack and use it to cleanup this review; but the remaining two bottles of Scourge are Xmas presents for my nephews.