Burn Down For What
Lenny Boy Brewing Co.

12oz Bottle
$3.99
Common Market - Charlotte, NC

Burn Down For What is the darkest of browns and sporting some deep mahogany highlights, more so when backlit. The khaki head is silky smooth and grew to two fingers in height on the rather easy pour. The foam has some serious staying power and impressive lacing abilities. This is an excellent looking beer.

It's amazing what flavors and aromas Lenny Boy can pull out of beer with their house culture. If you didn't know you would be certain this beer was aged on tart cherries. There's a soft lactic acidity and a bracing but smooth balsamic vinegar quality. Chocolate makes itself known as well. This beer is a slightly tart cherry cordial hugged by a tannic, dry oakiness. Each pull makes my mouth water.

The flavor profile doesn't quite get to the depth or vividness of the nose but it's not far off either. A tart balsamic vinegar quality runs the length of the drink. The cherry quality is present again, in large quantities, but the chocolate isn't quite as well rounded as the nose. Chocolate is there, more so on the finish and more so in the form of baker's chocolate with soft, well integrated tannic oak.. This is good beer. There are no rough edges.

The body is as it should be. The house culture seems to have eaten up any residual sugars and lightened up the body a bit. It sits below moderate in weight with a snappy carbonation and a lingering tartness. The finish is fairly dry which tends to accentuate that tartness. This beer is about as refreshing as it gets.

Lenny Boy does a great job with their sour beers. Burn Down For What is no exception. It's bright and vibrant and a fun drink. Knowing this is their standard brown ale simply aged in foeders with their house culture make it an interesting experiment.

 

12 oz bottle poured into a WW tulip glass. 4. 8% by volume. Pours a dark brown/black with a couple mm of off white lace. The aroma hits hard. Cherry, pear, and cider. The taste is more balanced, and more of the chocolate and oak mentioned on the label come through, along with some nut flavors. The carbonation is high and active, and the feel is medium with some sharpness as a result. Overall, a tasty brown sour, with some interesting notes that keep your attention.

 

L: Poured from a bottle to a tulip glass. Had a dark brown color and a cloudy texture. There was a small amount of off white, foamy head that quickly dissipated. Average lacing.

S: A nice aroma of a funky quality, dark fruit, a sourness, and some malt as well.

T: Tasted of a moderate amount of funk (less than expected of the style), a good shot of dark fruit (plums, prunes), light malt notes, a subtle sourness, and an acetic quality. The inclusion of dark fruit into an American Wild Ale is a fascinating choice. For the most part it works. It's a more subtle flavor than most.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a lively finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Not a perfect beer, but it definitely holds your attention. Drinkable.