Sputnik
Urban Artifact

No strangers to sour ale, a uniquely wild character emerges from the brewery of Urban Artifact. Less clean, less simple and much more characterful, the common "kettle" souring techniques get shelved in order to allow a more rustic, more refined, more characterful set of sour flavors to star in this show.

Sputnik shows off its raspberry additions with a deep garnet and ruby appearance, shielded in a fine mesh haze. As its frizzy and frothy bubble rise and fall, the nose fills with a peppery sourness laced with the dark berries, red wine, dried woods and slight cellar funk. Gentle on sweetness, the early impressions of off-jammy with suggestions of stewed fruit, taffy, sourdough and light cream.

The sweetness starts to trail off as soon as the ale splashes the middle palate. Remnants of fructose keep the session slightly plump and allowing the raspberries to keep their identifiable fruit character. Building sourness ushers in those dry cider, gooseberry, raspberry, vinous grape and slight balsamic character to overtake any fledgling sweetness and to ensure a dry, spicy and refreshingly acidic finish.

Medium-light in body, Sputnik has a certain lambic-like quality because of its spontaneous fermentation, leaving the palate arid with refreshment, crispness and earthen spice in an off-clean but pleasant aftertaste. Not exactly out of this world, this beer shows a new, bolder and more brazen side of Urban Artifact.