Dark Fruit Citrus Gose
Collective Arts Brewing

A- Pours a lovely raspberry reddish pink color, with purple, burgundy, pomegranate and cranberry tones blended in.....the brew is quite hazy but not totally opaque. The head is a nice pinky cloud like off white, and the retention is quite something to behold, with meringue like tops forming after the pour, and the three finger thick head only slowly dissipates into a solid layer over the brew. As for the lacing, well it is equally impressive, with artsy clumps of foam clinging to the inside of my modern tulip beer glass.....overall this is a very sound looking brew and deserves high marks in this category.

S- Heavy sour notes of fresh, if not a little under ripe blackberry, raspberry, Amalfi lemon, alongside lesser notes of black currant, chokecherry, huckleberry, soft under ripe strawberry, yeasty bread, & some malt richness and/or sweetness. The finish is of various citrus rind and perhaps some mild hop bitterness.

T- Wow, this made me pucker and get goosebumps upon my first taste! The flavors follow suit to the aromas well, with heavy berry tartness.....blackberry, raspberry, even blueberry, boysenberry, bing cherry and fresh lemon & lime juices.....the sweetness I smelled with the citrus is definitely now of the sour variety! The finish is somewhat salty and this lingers on the palate for awhile.....

M/O- Plenty of smooth carbonation and body wise, this is probably light-medium, it definitely is what it says it is. I don't find this to be very drinkable, as it is just too much for the palate....maybe if I had it ice cold it would be more enjoyable, but I don't see myself picking this one up again.....if you like to pucker and make funny faces while drinking a beer, this one is for you....I don't doubt that this is a well crafted brew and is true to the style, but I just don't get how so many would enjoy this type.....the look and smell are the best aspects of this. Nice artwork on the can!

 

Look: Pours a raspberry shade of dark purple/red with a billowing, two finger head of foam. Great head retention but it doesn't lace the glass much.

Aroma: Tart raspberry and sweet maraschino cherries, almost like fruit punch. There are floral notes of coriander and fresh linen in the background. Slight note of clean ocean air.

Taste: Initially it's very tart. I'm getting lots red fruit like black berries, strawberries and cranberries. Definitely some notes of grape jelly and blueberry jam. It develops in complexity into flavors maraschino cherries before becoming even more sour towards the finish, ending with a very mouth puckeringly salty bite. The aftertaste reminds me a lot like smartie's candy. Overall sensation is refreshing yet aggressively sour.

Feel: Moderately carbonated with a mouthfeel that is appropriate for the style. Sourness levels are at times very citrus/tangy and fruit punchy.

Overall: This was interesting. I normally stay away from fruit beers but I know collective arts can be trusted. Blackberries and currants aren't my favorite but I happened to like this. If you want something pretty sour and very fruit forward you will enjoy this.

 

 

 

Really nice kettle fruit sour from Collective Arts. Blackberry gives it a bright ruby appearance. Slight on sour, but nice balance with the fruit blend. Very drinkable as well.

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $3.95 CDN. Canned March 2, 2022.

Appearance - Hazy vibrant beet red in color, verging on purple. A pink frothy pink heat reminiscent of cream soda rests on top. Very good staying power too.

Smell - Tart, salty, citrusy with a little plum and cherry action behind all that. Pretty complex, robust and well executed.

Taste - Assertively crisp flavors. Strong citrus presence leads to some bitterness, plenty of sourness, lemon and sour cherries and sour plums seem to have that nailed down. A little saltiness all brushed over a mildly malty (read wheaty) backbone. Pretty well put together. My only complaint is that the tartness, might be a tad too assertive.

Mouthfeel - Clean and crisp, although maybe not light. Tongue has astringencies flying up and down it.

Overall - A very well brewed beer, with no complaints, great appearance and aroma, but for me it's a beer I'm glad to have enjoyed and would happily have another on a hot summer's day, but with cool gray weather surrounding right now, it wouldn't be a go to in these conditions. With that said one of the best (if not the best) locally brewed in the style.

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jan 24 2022 and served barely chilled. Collective Arts has been brewing a "dark fruit" gose with blackberry, blackcurrant and lemon for a few years now, though the name and abv have varied ever-so-slightly over time. I don't know enough to say whether or not this is a new beer, or if it should be merged.

Pours a deep purplish-magenta colour, producing nearly an inch of puffy, foamy, pink-tinged head that melts off within five minutes or so. A few scattered swaths of lace remain behind, in addition to a creamy collar encircling a frothy cap - looks gorgeous in the glass. Tart and mildly funky on the nose, with hints of plum, blackberry, lemon meringue and brine; hints of gritty wheat husk, raspberry and something spicy/herbal - must be the coriander?

A little sweet at the forefront, with the sourness coming later on - I'm getting blackcurrant, raspberry and plum at first, with blackberry and lemon coming through by mid-sip. The lemon remains to the end, complemented nicely by lacto sourness and blackberry yogurt; the aftertaste is a little salty, with suggestions of sour/underripe plum and coriander. Medium in body, with gentle carbonation and a smooth, slightly frothy texture that feels pleasing on the tongue. I found this very easy to drink, even though sours (fruited or otherwise) are not a style I tend to consume in multiples.

Final Grade: 4.32, an outstanding A grade. Dark Fruit Citrus Gose could probably use a more distinctive name, but other than that it's a fantastic soured fruit beer that I would eagerly return to in the summer months. Full disclosure - lemon and blackberries are two of my favourite fruits, and while I try to be neutral when reviewing, my personal bias could still be inflating the grade somewhat. I liked this a bit better than the foundational gose (Prophets), which is already a favourite gose of mine to begin with. Needless to say, it's a must try for any fan of fruity lacto sours.