Red Lotus
Barbarian Brewing

righteous new one from these guys, been awhile since i have had anything of theirs, this is real good. a kettle sour yeah, but not as aggressively acidic as a lot of theirs have been over the years, and nice and clean and tidy. its rose to flamingo pink, not cloudy at all, holds its head, and is done with cranberries and lychee, more of the former than the latter but slightly perfume-like from the lychee. i have no doubt at least real cranberries were used, its got awesome tang without shocking tartness, and a neat almost hibiscus floral thing, autumnal but also summery, i think one of the more true expressions of cranberry i have had in a beer, even if there is a little residual sugar softening the edges, i dont mind, its not candy tasting and cheap, im impressed. there is a generic fruit punch taste to the fruit taken together, a lemony aspect to the lacto sourness but its well restrained overall, and the body stays light to me even though the flavor is big. subtle cherry, rose wine, and begonia. this is really fun beer because its not just creative, its also good, and not just good tasting, but like actually of quality. so many of these are thick and soupy and forced and just trash as beers, even if they taste alright, so i liked this in more ways than one. almost a sangria note to close. i have been a little disdainful of the fruity kettle sours of late, so i have to acknowledge the winners too, and this one is a winner! festive but it doesnt have to be.