Soursmith Pear
Arclight Brewing Company

750 ml bottle into tulip glass, 2019 vintage. Slight gusher upon opening. Pours slight hazy deep golden amber color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy off white head with solid retention, that reduces to a spotty lace cap that lingers. Minimal spotty lacing on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big juicy/tart/tangy pears, fruit peel, sour lemon, lime, peach, plum, pineapple, apricot, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, honey, wheat, and white bread dough; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, leather, musty/lacto funk, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of pears, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and bready malt notes; with big strength. Taste of big juicy/tart/tangy pears, fruit peel, sour lemon, lime, peach, plum, pineapple, apricot, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, honey, wheat, and white bread dough; with lighter notes of oaken vanilla, leather, musty/lacto funk, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, fruit tang, and light Brett spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tart/tangy pears, fruit peel, sour lemon, lime, peach, plum, pineapple, apricot, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, honey, wheat, white bread dough, oaken vanilla, leather, musty/lacto funk, pepper, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a while. Fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of pears, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and bready malt flavors; with a fantastic malt/tart/sour and tangy fruit balance; with no puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Light-moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/tang/sourness and carbonation. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/grainy/acidic/tangy, and lightly slick/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Minimal warming alcohol for 8.5%. Overall this is a fantastic fruited sour/wild ale. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of pears, fruity/funky/acidic yeast, oak, and bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly acidic/tangy/drying finish; not overly lactic. Fantastic balance of big juicy pears and Brett/bacteria complexity; with a nice sized malt backbone against acidity, and solid oak foeder presence. Mild residual sweetness with lingering dryness. A highly enjoyable offering, and outstanding style example as expected of the brewery. Least favorite of the series so far, but still loved it.

Typical appearance for the series, clear bronze, no head. Smell and taste are clones: pear sweet tart with oak backing, light melon phenols, and a hint of green apple and graham cracker. Feel is sweet, tart, and slightly acidic, thinner than most in series. A fine pear sour, but lacks the pop to put in into the elite category