Aloha Sour
Side Launch Brewing Company

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Apr 5 2021 and served slightly chilled. I can't find an ingredients list for this one, but the allergy warnings mention wheat, milk and nuts.

Pours a foggy, pale golden-yellow colour, topped with half a finger of loose, bubbly head that fizzles off in less than a minute's time. The surface is left totally barren - no cap, no lacing, not even a collar. It smells of maraschino cherries, strawberry bubble gum and lime juice, with hints of orange creamsicle, fruit punch, almonds and some sort of spiciness that I cannot put my finger on. I gotta say, this is one of the most novel bouquets I've encountered in quite some time - it's almost candy-like.

Like the nose, the flavour profile is also quite unique - I'm getting cherry and pineapple at first, soon joined by hints of wheaty malt, orange and lime. Light lactose sweetness, hints of amaretto and lactic acidity round out the back end, with a mildly tart, juicy-sweet aftertaste of cherry, pineapple, lactose and citrus that lingers only briefly. Light-medium in body, with moderately high carbonation levels that briskly brush across the surface of the palate, resulting in a crisp, slightly prickly mouthfeel that I found pleasing. Maybe a little more sweet than sour, but quite drinkable.

Final Grade: 3.96, a solid B+. Side Launch's Aloha Sour won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I sure found it to be pretty neat. If anyone remembers that 'Tahiti Treat' soda pop, this might be the closest a beer has ever come to replicating that stuff - the only thing it's missing is the red food colouring, and maybe a dozen-or-so grams of sugar. It's something I could see myself returning to in the future, although I wouldn't say it's something I'd want to drink every day, or in large quantities. This one is worth trying, for sure.