Blood Orange & Hibiscus Sour
Collective Arts Brewing

 

 

 

 

Appearance - Pours a cloudy deep raspberry with three fingers of frothy blush pink head.

Smell - spicy earthy and floral hops, blood orange, floral notes (hibiscus), hint of raspberry, hint of lemon, grainy malts, and earthy yeast.

Taste - spicy earthy and floral hops then quickly goes into the tart blood orange and hibiscus. The hint of raspberry, lemon follow suit. The grainy malts and earthy yeast round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes tart with the blood orange and hibiscus lingering.

Overall - A pleasant sour that delivers on the blood orange and hibiscus. Worth a go if you're a fan of these moderately tart brews.

 

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jun 26 2020 and served slightly chilled.

Pours with a cloudy, turbid, fuschia-coloured body that is initially topped with more than an inch of foamy, pink-tinged head. It falls apart within two or three minutes' time, soon reduced to a thin collar and a narrow band of wavering lace. Looks better than most sours, and that colour is just inherently attractive. The blood orange and hibiscus dominate the nose, obscuring much subtler notes of grapefruit, grainy wheat and raspberry. There's also some very slight hints of lemon yogurt acidity.

It's quite a tasty sour, but it's also a restrained one, in that its acidity is kept to more of a low background hum vs. a puckering, in-your-face sort of deal. That being said, it starts off with a brief blast of lemon sourness, which is followed by big notes of blood orange and grapefruit, backed by a lightly wheaty pale malt sweetness. Citrus remains the focus through to the finish, where hibiscus-y notes of perfume-y flowers and berries join the fray, lingering briefly into a mildly tart aftertaste. Medium-light in body, with middling carbonation levels that provide a proper, crisp bite to this somewhat smooth-feeling sour. I found this rather easy to toss back, but depending on your affinity for blood orange and kettle sours, your mileage may vary.

Final Grade: 4.16, an A-. Collective Arts rarely disappoints, and their Blood Orange & Hibiscus Sour doesn't buck the trend - it's a superb brew that might make for an excellent introductory (fruited) sour. The blood orange makes for a lovely complement to the base kettle sour, while the hibiscus provides an added layer of depth. Not particularly complex - if anything, it's kinda straightforward - but when a combo works, the end result can sometimes be more than the sum of its components. If you spot this on the shelves, don't hesitate to give 'er a go.

 

473 ml can from the LCBO for $4.25 CDN. Served cold into a pint glass.

Appearance - Pours a fleshy pink hazy brew and is topped with three fingers of dense and slow receding off-white head that has a hint of pink in it. Lots of lacing at the edges of the glass.

Smell - Tons of blood orange, some general wheaty quality and hibiscus floats around in the background. More perfumey in a sense, but it is largely tropical perfume.

Taste - Lots of blood orange up front, some other citrus in there, mild sourness, then in races hibiscus and finishes with a very crackery and wheat based flavor.

Mouthfeel - Initially light refreshing and even prickly, carbonation is high. Finishes dry and a bit chalky.

Overall - Quality sour, blood orange and hibsicus does make a nice pairing, but the sourness is rather subdued and the very crackery and wheaty finish is a bit of a turn off for me. Glad to have tried and may even pick up another one, but probably not a beer for the rotation.