Imperial Blueberry Tart Ale
Southern Tier Brewing Company

 

Liked this way more than I thought I was going to. Wasn’t sour at all (thank god) but had a delicious tartness to it. Was quite strong, but you would swear you were drinking a much lighter beer. Not really into these fruity beers, but this was quite good.

I am continuing my New Southern Tier Beer Sunday (Week 713) by delving into my Bottle Backlog.

From the Bottle: "Imperial Sour Wheat Ale Brewed with Blueberry Puree and with Natural Blueberry Flavor added"; "Why the hell not?"

Why the hell not, indeed. I Pop!ped the cap & having agitated it in the bottle, I followed all of that up with a heavy-handed C-Line pour. I got a brief moment with its finger of fizzy, foamy, pinkish head before it retreated into wisps. Color was a slightly hazy Pinkish-Amber (SRM = N/A). The new Style descriptors really do this one a favor! It was stylistically beautiful. I could smell the blueberries even as I poured. Fantastiche! Mouthfeel was rather thin & watery. The taste was less crackery than bready or doughy, but when coupled with the blueberry flavor, I could only think of blueberry pancakes. Yum! My favorite. Even this was still within the guidelines! I tend to eschew syrups in Berliner Weisse, but this one had it built in. Finish was semi-dry to dry & do not be fooled into thinking that the blueberry was going to sweeten the pot. This was pretty daggum TART, not sour! There is a difference! 8={}

 

Poured into a chalice: color is indigo with a red hue, head presents a quick 1/4 inch top and then dissipates to nothing, limited lacing, fairly typical for the base style (or part of the base style in this case).

Smell might be the highlight of the ale - even for this brew that had a brewed date of 12/2017 - big blueberry tart, hints of bread and toast, reminds me of some high quality blueberry pies. As noted by some the aroma fills the nearby space near the glass.

Taste upfront is obviously blueberry, then some subtle undertones of biscuit, yogurt, crushed grapes; sour tart notes are not overdone, but thin from the kettle souring.

Mouthfeel is moderately carbonated, tart upfront and lingering tart sourness with drying on the tongue.

Overall a good fruit beer, plays to the subtleties of berlinner weisse and blueberries hiding the strong abv.

Pours an effervescent blush color with a thumb of sand colored head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Blueberries in spades

T: Sweet Blueberries with a little tartness, plus dryness up front. Tartness picks up as this warms, more of a sour blueberry, Finishes tart with a little berry sourness & just a little sweetness on the edges

MF: Medium body, subdued carbonation, a little acidity as this warms

Interesting take on the style, drank easy enough

Very refreshing, with the tastes complimenting each other quite nicely. Good for a hot day outside.

 

12 FL OZ bottle
Served in a sour glass

This beer pours a deep rosy hue and is crystal clear. It is topped with an inch of beige head that leaves spotty lacing.

The smell is fresh blueberries and is slightly tart.

It starts out like a blueberry ale up front. The tartness comes through the middle. There is a bitter flavor in the finish with lingering tartness in the aftertaste.

Thin mouthfeel and dry

It a decent beer. I would drink it again.

 

 

 

 

A: The beer is hazy purplish red in color. It poured with a thin layer of white bubbles on the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of blueberries are present in the nose.
T: The taste has strong flavors of blueberries with hints of yogurt and a light amount of sourness.
M: It feels light-bodied and slightly tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer isn’t as sour compared to other beers in the style and packs in a punch of blueberry flavors.

Serving type: bottle

12oz bottle into a pint glass. DOB 12/13/17, so 4 months old.

kind of a deep rose' wine colored body. decent flow of carbonation. head quickly dissipates to a ring and faint covering.

strong blueberry aroma.

sweet blueberry flavor, a little sour. not bad.

mouth is close to full, finish is a little tart at first, then unfortunately leaves a metallic taste on the back of the mouth, which spoils the drink somewhat.

overall, a decent fruit beer slightly spoiled by the late metallic finish. this kinda forces you to take the next mouthful quickly, which at 8.5abv, is not a good idea.