Brut Fruit Tart: Merlot Grapes
Urban Artifact

8 ounce can, canned on 02/05/20. Served in a Teku glass, the beer pours a mostly clear purple color with a thin pink head that fizzled away quickly. Not much lacing at all. The brew smells like red grapes/wine, blackberries, earthiness and a bit of citrus. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but with the addition of some tart apple, plum, dark berry jam and peppery spice flavors. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit slick and has a moderate amount of zippy carbonation. ABV is well hidden. Wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but I liked it more the longer I drank it. Glad I got to try this one!

 

Very much like a wine, yet has a good amount of carbonation.

Made from the stuff of wine, yet brewed like a beer, Urban Artifact merge the two genres of beverage seamlessly.

Simply and aptly named Merlot Grapes, the beer pours with a russet burgundy hue, slightly hazy in its depth of sight. As a fine and dainty head swirls on the surface. Bold and juicy aromas of red grapes quickly become the centerpiece of scent while an undercurrent of sourness, balsamic, orchard fruit, citrus and a peppery twinge to the nose. Sweet fruitiness splashes the early palate with the jammy maltiness of hard candy, light syrup and toasted honey.

Trending strongly wine-like as the ale traverses across the middle palate, the undcurrent of tartness brings aspects of lime, lemon, crabapple and gooseberry to the more tart and off-sour taste of grapes. Merlot grapes bring their own subtle nuances of blackberry and plumb before peps of black pepper and balsamic bring an earthy tartness and sharpness to the late palate.

Medium bodied but perhaps fuller for a sour ale, the beer's body is firm, juicy and trending spicy with grape skin tannins playing a solid role in the beer's balance. A medium length aftertaste of vinous fruits are further highlighted with wine tannins and a slim hop bite. The beer seems to be a fairly simplistic but sharper version of Flanders Red Ale.