Golden Sour with Peaches
Westbound & Down Brewing Company

 

the first sour beer i think i have had from these guys, and the first bottled offering i have ever seen from them too. this is an ambitious beer, a red wine barrel aged sour with fresh palisade peaches, and they have done a pretty good job with it, especially for a first attempt at something like this. its bright golden in the glass, just off clear, with some bubbles but not a ton of head gathering. the aroma is really sour, mouthwatering and sharp, striking really, but fairly clean with some light lemon and faint cheesy funk, but rather refined as far as i can tell. the peaches add some sweetness, and there is a honey note to the grain here that the sweet peach clings to, also some sweet oak as well. the flavor is nice, somewhat simple for what it is, less of the red wine coming through than the wood, kind of one note to the peach, lightly cooked and preserved rather than fresh and ripe to me, but its still natural, and there is surely no denying what kind of fruit is in this! i actually get some white wine in the taste too, a product of the souring culture i would think creating a tannic impression. smoothed only a little by the wood, and boasting a long, sweet, juicy finish. this could be amazing with a brettier complexion to the yeast, and with even more fruit, as well as more carbonation, but i like what they have done with this, and think its a pretty solid launch of their sour program, if thats in fact what is happening here. worth picking up a bottle for sure.