This Shit is Bananas
Barbarian Brewing

not exactly a fruited sour because i dont think they use any fruit in it, its that fake banana candy flavoring, so if you like the yellow runts, and you like bracingly acidic sour beer, this one is for you. to me its not one of their best, i just dont need this banana flavor as a beer you know? but it seems like this was the goal, so mission accomplished i guess? a little deeper color from the tap than i expected, brassy to bronze even copper tinted, with some fizziness but not a lot of head collecting. the nose is pure molten banana candy, runts to me but any will be close enough, laffy taffy, whatever, very little grain or hops or anything, a little stale beer actually to me, especially at temperature, and a lot of acidity, past lemony into the almost harsh realm, and this actually kind of hurts my gums and tongue when i start drinking it, so sour. the flavor is good if you like this kind of banana flavor, if you dont, its bad, that simple. its more banana flavoring than beer, maybe a hint of wheat, a little vanilla note rising up too, underripe grape acidity, concrete minerality, but this isnt particularly nuanced or in need of detailed analysis, its mediocre overly sour beer with a ton of candy flavoring in it. i get that these guys have carved out a nice niche as being an experimental and risk taking brewery, i love them for it, but these kinds of things are a huge turn off, very little to get excited about here. banana candy and excessive sourness, if this is what new school beer has become, im not into it. a whole glass of this would be nearly impossible. all of that said, its well executed for what it is, hard to believe, but its true, cant score it too low, you want a banana candy beer, this is it.