WiLD Sour Series: Plum Sour Stout
DESTIHL Brewery

 

Canned 11/3/16; drank 1/22/17 @ the Yarchives.

Black appearance; champagne bubbles throughout.

A violent pour yielded a HUGE, noisy tan head (careful pouring!) which quickly dissipated; no lace.

Plum, fresh earth & faint smoke notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Plum & mild chocolate flavors up front; fresh earth & tart strawberry notes on the finish. Tart but not puckering; dark but quaffable.

An interesting, worthy brew.

Reviewed from notes. Poured from a 12 oz. can into a Cycle Brewing goblet.

A: Dark brown and essentially opaque, with just hints of ruddiness around the edges of the glass. Even a gentle pour gives 2+ fingers of tan foamy head, but that recedes by the time I sit back down. A low amount of visible carbonation after things have settled.

S: Acidic sour bite with mild acetic character. Dark malts with some serious roast character and some coffee to it as well. Lesser notes of tart cherries, malic acid, cacao nibs. Not particularly “funky”, nor am I getting any plum as such.

T: Malic and acetic sour and acid up front. More tart cherries. Then the big roasted malt body with mild chocolate flavors. Then buried by more winey and acetic tartness. As the dry sour fades after the swallow, lingering coffee flavors become more noticeable in the hang. I guess, since the brewer put it in mind, that on the final exhale I’ll buy into the flavor of a too-firm, extra unripe plum. But it’s not a dominant flavor.

M: Medium-bodied compared to most sour ales, though lighter than you'd expect for a stout. Good amount of carbonation sensation, and low alcohol flavors.

O: It’s not bad – certainly sour but not overly so, and the stout character with its roasted malts is definitely present, especially in the coffee flavor. The fruit I would have chalked up more to the acetic souring. This is a beer that, to me, suffers at the conceptualization level – I just don’t think the world needed a sour plum stout. Aside from maybe a bit pronounced acetic character, I don’t think this has overt flaws as much as the flavors just don’t compliment each other particularly. But still, something different to have in cans for sure, and it’s not without its appeal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12oz can poured into a snifter
canned 10/10/16

A- pours dark black with a huge foamy khaki colored head that eventually settles down to a thin ring around the edge, perhaps some carbonation issues

S- aroma is a nice mix of dark fruits and chocolate, definitely has a plum vibe, along with some dark cherries & fig. Chocolaty malt almost gives a chocolate covered cherry aroma

T- slightly tart up front with some berry notes, along with acidic vinegar, mid-palate gives sweet malt and chocolate notes. The finish gives tart berries, along with roast

M- medium body with high carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that fills the mouth immediately and bites all the way to the finish, definitely over-carbonated

O- an interesting blend, would be quite drinkable if not for the carbonation issues, probably not something I'd try again

 

Pours a frothy, tan head. Deep, burnt umber color. Sour aroma with...toasted malt - an odd combination. Starts very sour, with notes of toasted malt. Then, as things settle down, there is a sweetness of plums, with lingering acidity.

This isn't nearly as bad as I expected, but it's surprisingly good and a very interesting combination. I feel like a non-soured version of this would be superb.

 

 

Black in color. Poured with a short, effervescent, dark beige foam with low retention. Medium sweet dark malt and dark chocolate aromas with light roasted malt and earthy notes. No hop or fruit aromas. Medium bodied with medium high carbonation and a creamy smoothness beneath the tartness. Assertive, medium high sourness throughout with dark and roasted malt flavors on the periphery. No hop aromas or flavors. Finished dryly with a roasted malt note and a lingering puckering tartness. The sourness is a bit overwhelming, making other malt or fruit character and flavor – like plum - indiscernible. The sourness at the finish was a bit heavy and hurt the drinkability.