Soursmith Strawberry
Arclight Brewing Company

 

Sample at the Sour Beer fest in Boston on 6/15/2019
Sour tart with fruity berry. Light strawberry astringency.

 

 

 

 

 

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2018 vintage bottling. Pours fairly hazy deep reddish orange/copper color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to nothing eventually. Minimal lacing, with some streaming carbonation and clinging bubbles. Aromas of huge juicy/tart/tangy strawberries, sour cranberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, pepper, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Incredible aromas with fantastic complexity and balance of strawberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, dark/bready malt, and wine barrel notes; with big strength. Taste of huge juicy/tart/tangy strawberries, sour cranberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, and toasted bread; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, pepper, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, fruit/wine tang, and light yeast/oak spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tart/tangy strawberries, cranberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, plum, pear, pineapple, apricot, red/green apple, red grape/wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, light leather/funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of strawberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, dark/bready malt, and wine barrel flavors; with an awesome malt/tart/sourness and tangy fruit balance; with minimal puckering flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from tart/sourness and tangy fruit. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body; with a smooth, creamy/bready, and fairly acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 8%. Overall this is an insane fruited sour/wild ale! All around amazing complexity, robustness, and balance of strawberries, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, dark/bready malt, and wine barrel flavors; very smooth and dangerously easy to sip on for the ABV, with the mellowly acidic/tangy/tannic/drying finish, not overly lactic. Enormously jammy strawberries; with perfectly balanced Brett/Bacteria complexity, dark/bready malts, and wine barrel integration. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. Definitely the best one I've had in the series yet, not as puckering as the rest. A highly amazing offering, and world class style example. One of the best imperial sours I've ever had from anywhere.