Raspberry Peach Bellini Sour
Collective Arts Brewing

 

 

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jan 18 2023 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a muddy, turbid brownish-amber colour, generating two fingers of puffy, foamy, light beige-coloured head that gradually dissipates. A little over five minutes later, I'm left with a frothy cap and collar, with a full coat of pulpy, scuzzy lace adhering to the glass. Real peach and raspberry are major parts of the smoothie-like aroma; I'm also getting hints of mango, as well as a rubbery note that I don't care for.

Sweet, fruity, smoothie-adjacent flavour profile that goes very easy on the sourness. I'm tasting raspberry fruit and peach juice at the forefront, joined by hints of mango, white grape juice and wheaty, bready malts. Hints of raspberry, peach yogurt and grape persist through the finish and briefly into the aftertaste, which is mostly fruity with weak lactic sourness. Medium-full body, with low-ish carbonation that softly tickles the surface of the tongue; the mouthfeel is juicy and fulfilling.

Final Grade: 3.93, a B+. Raspberry Peach Bellini Sour is not something I'd want to drink every day, but if I were specifically in the mood for a peach beer it would certainly warrant strong consideration. In all fairness, this can is eight months old, so this particular serving is presumably not at its best. All in all, it's still better than your average peach beer - these Collective Arts sours rarely make return appearances at the LCBO, but if I stumble upon this again I'd totally give it a second shot.

473 ml can served cold into a pint glass. Purchase for about $4.25 CDN. Canned January 18, 2023.

Appearance - peach and salmon colored with a three quarter finger of loose pinkish foam that fizzles away inside a minute. Very hazy brew and with some bubbles rising to the surface.

Smell - Lots of raspberry with hints of peach. Very minor mixed veggie aroma, but the fruit is the star.

Taste - Tart with some raspberry up front, mixing in with peach and a booziness in the aftertaste. The sour spurts start at the beginning and pop in every few seconds. Not super sour, but sufficiently sour. Fruitiness doesn't really linger in the mouth. Slightly hot in the aftermath.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, fizziness is modest and quite creamy in texture. Slight astringency at the end. Juicy for a sour.

Overall - Well executed and flavorful fruited sour, but not likely to be a repeat purchase for me. Nothing wrong with it, and the cohesiveness is quite good, but there's nothing there driving me to have another. Maybe the peach doesn't really make an impact for me.

Looks like pink mud with a crusty head. Lace is spotty with pureed fruit sticking to the sides of the glass. That look comes through with a toothsome mouthfeel, but that works quite nicely. Like a smoothie. The nose is disappointing, giving up just a laboured hint of peach on a notceably vegetal background.

But. Very tasty. Sharp and tart, not just mindlessly formulaic or anonymous sour stuff. Lots of raspberry, less peach. A touch of beeriness on the backend.

I'm of two minds on this. The aroma is borderline off-putting. But the taste and mouthfeel are quite enjoyable. Split decision. I'd have another one just to be judgy.