Snowing But Not Sticking
Magnify Brewing Company

This is my first experience with a sour from Magnify Brewing, whose IPAs have generally been pretty good (especially their bigger ones, as I've now had a pair of TIPAs from them that have knocked my socks off). This beer is brewed with lactose, cake batter, cherry, coconut, and chocolate, and it clocks in at a RIDICULOUS 11% ABV. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?

The pour here is very nice; it topples into my glass as a deep reddish beer with a raspberry-like hue to it, reminding me of something like Rubaeus by Founders back in the day. This liquid is topped off by a sizable head of pale white foam with a slight pinkish tint to it. It builds up to about three fingers upon my initial decanting, though it sinks quickly to a half-finger, leaving behind no lace, surface coverage, or much in the way of legs. Still, I do like the color here and am interested to see what this weird beer has in store for me!

The press release calls this a "Black Forest Cake-inspired dessert sour," and I have to say that from what I know about this particular dessert, it seems as though they may have come really close to nailing the essence of it from the smell alone. I get a ton of coconut and cherry in the nose immediately with a hint of nuttiness, brownie-like chocolate notes, and some Grenache wine in there as well. Hints of cinnamon and other baking spices, along with a touch of the hefty ABV, are also easy to detect in this one. Yeah, this seems like it'll be really good honestly.

On the palate, SBNS begins with a puckering hit of tart cherry and some lighter suggestions of raspberry, strawberry, and red wine grape with a bit of spice and maltiness. The mid-palate has a bit more of a bolstering sourness with the nutty notes of toasted coconut and a little cocoa-like dustiness melding with huge flavors of brownie batter as the finish washes over the tongue with some heavy creaminess from the lactose and a parting acidity that quickly flashes on the tongue. I'm surprised how much I enjoy this, and I think a lot of it has to do with how balanced everything feels despite it being obviously maximalist and crazy. The super-high ABV is barely felt as I sip, which I know is quite dangerous. It's just hidden by all of the adjuncts, most likely, and that is quite the achievement by these guys. Beer like this can quickly become a big mess considering the balancing act that is necessitated by the added ingredients, but this is well-handled and surprisingly deft, almost in spite of its crazy idea. I like it, against all odds. It's dumb, and it's good. Grab a can if it sounds intriguing!