Apple Strudel Pastry Sour
Collective Arts Brewing

Ah yes, the pastry sour. Collective Arts has actually done a nice job on the one I had in the past. Purchased from the brewery and served cold into a pint glass.

Appearance - Very hazy, turbid murky brown color with honey hues. Actually reminiscent of apple pie or strudel filling, it does appear a bit darker in the glass. Two fingers of tan-white head are poured which fizzles out to a small collar in a couple minutes. Not really any lacing to speak of.

Smell - Apple and hints of cinnamon and a definite doughy, sweet pastry behind all that. Touches of caramel too. Nose isn't that big and the apple and pastry elements are a little more subdued.

Taste - Some apple, an underlying very sweet doughy and caramel conglomeration and a little tartness there too. Seems like lactose added. Flavor just isn't quite intense enough, so it tastes like a weak and slightly more sour apple pastry. Bigger gulps may lend itself to a more robust sour apple flavor, but then the balance with the pastry is gone.

Mouthfeel - Low carbonation, creamy and fairly full bodied. Finish is middling.

Overall - Tough beer to grade, I like the concept and the execution is pretty good here too, it's just such a precise flavor that requires adjuncts and additives, that inevitably, something doesn't quite shine through the way it should. Not as good as the cherry pie rendition, but still worth trying.