Bathysphere
Urban Artifact

16 ounce can, canned on 06/12/23, June 2023 Small Batch Society release. Served in an Urban Artifact chalice, the beer pours a dark purple color with not quite an inch reddish head that stuck around a little while. I like the aroma, the brew smells mostly like black raspberries/berry jam, along with some bready malt. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some earthy and a bit of a tart citrus-like flavor noticeable too. But as with the taste, I think the black raspberry stands out to me. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's smooth and easy to drink with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a pretty good overall brew, definitely worth trying if you get the chance!

 

 

You can tell this isn’t just fruit purée mixed in, has a neat wine-ish quality to it

 

Rich, succulent and robust in its black raspberry flavors, Urban Artifact's American Sour Ale is simply but boldly slathered in the midwestern fruit for a beer that just might be suitable to be spread on toast.

Dark rouge, ruby and downright purple in color, the beer releases a tall column of neon mauve foam. Tantalizing aromas of dark berries bring a jammy, soft drink sweetness and fruitiness to the nose while a spice of red wine brings the scent back to the adult beverage front. Sweet, creamy and lush on the early palate, those notions of pastry, cobbler, jam and fruit are nearly as intense as pie filling with the first sip.

Those rich, sweet and tangy fruit flavors wash the middle palate in fruity sweetness with the condensed taste of fruit rollup trending nearly to the extent of dates, figs, fresh tobacco, black cherry and raisin proportions. Hints of burgundy wine and cider peak through the fruit and allow the beer to develop a tart, spicy and vinous semblance of balance on the late palate.

The beer finishes with the mind thinking juice box, fruit syrup and spritzer, all leading to a medium long aftertaste of... yep, you guessed it... sticky, gooey, pleasantly cloying black raspberry. One dimensional in its fruit flavor, the berries dwarf any of the sour ale nuances. But boy what a dimension it is!

Black Raspberry Sour (Midwestern Fruit Tart). Similar to Gadget, but darker, equally smooth, and all around slightly better. Perhaps the great achievement of this delicious beer is its ability to hide its abv. Though the uniqueness of its rich taste, complimented by its alcohol content, is truly sublime.

 

 

Black raspberry Midwest fruit tart. Poured from a can into a Bell's tulip. The color is startling. It is extremely dark red. I would say it looks like a glass of very high quality syrah, but even those wines aren't this inky-looking. It also sports a thin layer of violet-colored foam that dies off quickly due to the acidity (as per the pH, this promises to be one of UA's more sour MFT offerings). As always, the nose is heavy with fresh fruit and sour notes. A long whiff makes me think I have just picked a large bucket of these raspberries and am inhaling deeply over it. I even get faint notes of cocoa and tobacco.

Medium-light body with a delicate feel. The flavor isn't nearly as sour as I anticipated, but as with all MFTs from this brewer the fresh fruit is the star. Very strong black raspberry flavors persist across the palate. The beer provides additional flavors of lemon zest and white wine. The acidity actually feels quite mild, as the fruit helps to balance things out. I can't get over how dark this beer is in the glass! As I drink it, a beautiful purple foam lace is left behind. The appearance and flavor are comparable to the top-shelf "Triceratops" offered by this brewer, with perhaps a bit less intensity of flavor.