Berry Banana Açaí & Granola Smoothie Sour
Collective Arts Brewing

Pours a good sized head that quickly disappears. No lacing. Handsome hazy ruby pink colour. Everything is there in the aroma - berry, banana, granola grains. Interesting. Berry and banana dominate the taste. Sour with a dry fruity finish. Quite enjoyable for its honest flavours. Nice sour bite.

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Mar 11 2021 and served slightly chilled.

Pours cloudy and turbid, with a pinkish fuchsia-coloured body that is capped off with an inch of foamy, pale pink-tinged head. It lingers only briefly - within a couple of minutes it has been reduced to a narrow collar and some stringy lace - looks pretty good to me. Lots going on with the nose - I'm getting blackberry, açaí berry, strawberry and banana, as well as minor notes of lactic acidity, vanilla, wheat and a creamy milk sweetness.

Interesting blend of flavours, but I think they work pretty well together. Banana at the forefront, as well as açaí and strawberry; next up is granola/oatmeal, blackberry and lactose sugar sweetness. Suggestions of vanilla mingle with more berries and a sour, lemony lactic acidity that carries through the finish and into a tart, sweet-ish aftertaste of granola, strawberry-banana milkshake and açaí. Medium-full in body, with lots of crisp, spritzy carbonation that remains lively well into the course of the glass; feels quite smooth and fulfilling on the surface of the palate, aiding its 'smoothie' cred. One can at a time is plenty, but I'd be interested in drinking this again for sure.

Final Grade: 4.18, a memorable A-. Berry Banana Açaí & Granola Smoothie Sour is a mouthful to say - and to describe. There's a lot of different flavours packed in here, but I don't think they really clashed with each other, so I'm not sure why there's so many reviews trashing this one. Maybe an earlier batch didn't turn out so well? Or maybe my tastes are just way out of whack with theirs, so they found it to be a muddle of non-complementary sensations? To each their own, but I honestly see this as one of the more interesting and palatable fruit sours I've had in months, if not years.

 

So sour and tart! It’s more harsh than smooth. Ouch

From the bottom of the can: "00:52 02/06/21"

Appearance: It has a somewhat pale purple body with a bit of pink in it. The body is completely opaque. The head is short, frothy, and white. Not much head retention; it fades pretty quickly to a ring and a few rafts. There are a few spots on the glass but no real lacing.

Aroma: Sulfur comes through on the nose along with some grape. It smells a bit like a salami dipped in grape juice.

Taste: Up front there is grape flavor, then there is celery salt and hotdog water.

Mouthfeel: It feels smooth and easy on the tongue. It has a nice bright acidity. It feels medium-full bodied. Drinkability is low given the aroma and flavor.

Overall: It has too much sulfur character and it isn't enjoyable to drink. The can states that this is a "BERRY BANANA ACAI & GRANOLA SMOOTHIE SOUR" and that it is an "ALE WITH NATURAL FLAVORS." The beer has a grape-like flavor but there isn't much of a berry flavor. The banana, acai, and granola are all absent in the aroma and flavors. The beer is poorly executed and I would strongly recommend against it unless you want a sulfur bomb.

 

473 ml can served cool into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for something between $4 and $5CDN. Canning date of February 16, 2021.

Appearance - Milkshake smoothie hot pink with a finger of quickly receding pink head. No lacing and looks incredibly dense.

Smell - Berry and banana yes, with some creamy sweet yogurty like qualities and strangely enough I do get a whiff of a granola like substance. I'm no longer sure this is beer, but does smell as advertised.

Taste - Banana and berry is there with some lactose added does have a milky quality. Also sour. It doesn't really jive, but does taste as you'd expect. Again I'm barely sure this is beer anymore. Finishes quite tart

Mouthfeel - Medium-full body, carbonation is light, finish is full and dense.

Overall - Too much going to be cohesive, though does hit the advertised flavors fairly well. I'm glad it's a one off for me, but the berry , banana and granola nose is interesting to say the least.

 

 

 

16 oz can into a curved pint glass.

Pours a hazy burgundy color with 2 fingers of effervescent pinkish white head. Minimal retention and lacing. Nice color.

The aroma is...not pleasant. It smells like vomit after downing a blueberry smoothie.

The taste just doesn't work, at all. It's a muddled mess of mixed fruits and stomach acid. And maybe a bit of granola.

The feel is medium bodied with good carbonation. Very acidic.

Overall...gross. I enjoy most Collective Arts beer but this is so far off the mark it's pretty much a drainpour. The flavors just don't work together for a beer.