The Julia
The Dandy Brewing Company

473 mL can from the LCBO; Lot L2338. Served slightly chilled.

Pours foggy golden-amber, producing one finger of loose, soapy white head that disintegrates within a minute or two. A thin collar is all that survives, with no lace production and an otherwise barren surface. It smells of real peaches and apricots, with hints of lactic acidity, wheaty malts, apples and vanilla.

Deep & delicate flavours for a kettle sour - I'm getting underripe/sour peach and apricot at the forefront, backed by notes of wheaty malts, apple sauce and cinnamon. Moderate lactic sourness that blends well with the underripe peach sourness. A little sweeter on the back end, with caramel apples, vanilla and indeterminate baking spice (nutmeg? cardamom?) lasting alongside a juicy, ripe peach note; the spices are not at all overpowering or intrusive, but they do get surprising mileage into the aftertaste. Medium-light in body, with middling carbonation that adds some spritz to this brew's smooth mouthfeel; good drinkability for the style, but right now I'd pass on a refill.

Final Grade: 4.1, an A-. The Julia is billed as a 'peach cobbler sour ale' on the front label: that kind of description sets up certain expectations, and Dandy did a darn good job of managing them. In fact, as far as peach sours go, I'd go so far as to say that it's one of the best I've come across so far. The fruit flavours seem authentic, while the additional hints of baking spice/vanilla add another subtle layer of depth to the experience. It drinks like a fruited kettle sour (vs. a real wild ale), so that's what I've graded it as. Always a pleasure to try a new brew from an Albertan craft brewery, even if it's only once in a blue moon - I'd buy this again on sight.

Color is a slightly hazy dark yellow that pours with a half finger of whitish head that dissipates quickly leaving no lacing.

Nice sour aroma to it with a good amount of under ripe sour peaches.

Fairly sour forward with a load of peach and under ripe nectarine flavor, more like the flesh next to the pit then closer to the skin as well as a ghostly aromatic floral fruit blossom hint to it.

Medium bodied and mildly sweet with a high carbonation to it, noticeably more full bodied then most other sours with a faint flavor to it, of something dark, like molasses or demerara sugar.

Faint pith notes on the finish with some lingering notes of vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon on the aftertaste that lingers on the palate.

 

 

 

650ml bottle (5.5% ABV in this year's version) - so it is a reference to Julia Child, and apparently her peach cobbler recipe.

This beer pours a hazy, medium golden yellow colour, with four fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat fizzy eggshell white head, which leaves pretty much nothing in the way of lace anywhere near the glass as it quickly sinks away.

It smells of apricot/peach stone fruit, fermenting white wine, mushy apple, gritty and grainy pale malt, a few sour lactic notes, and a further mildly tart yeastiness. The taste is bready and crackery pale malt, tart peach/apricot/lemon fruity esters, more white wine lees, tame spoiled milk, and an ethereal sense of earthy, musty, and floral noble hop bitterness.

The carbonation is quite active in its swirling and twirling frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, as the otherwise mouthfeel-marring tartness is of the fruity nature, so s'all good, man! It finishes off-dry, the peach cobbler combination of flavours really working it on and on.

Overall - this is a pleasant enough version of the style (kettle sour with fruit addition?), and drinkable for a broad swath of beer imbibers, I would imagine, from yer gateway sourheads, to people like me, the sour (near) agnostics. At any rate, worthy of checking out.

 

 

First sampled right at brewery then brought in growler straight from the brewery directly home where I cracked it open. Was actually advised not to take in a growler as would lose a bunch of the carbonation and fruity aromas.

Despite recommendation the flavour and taste is still there. Light refreshing tart taste and light nose of peaches. Would agree I got more tartness, head and peaches right from the tap but damn this beer is still very good. Actually reminds me of something close to Nectarous from Four winds. Great job Dandy on this and keep up the great brewing, hope to try more like this in the future.