Mimosa Sour Ale
Cowbell Brewing Co.

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Mar 28 2024 and served barely chilled. Reviewed from notes.

Pours mostly clear, its blonde yellow-hued body fitted with an inch-thick cap of frothy, sudsy white head that dissipates at a steady pace. Three or four minutes later, it has been reduced to a loose collar and patchy, filmy cap; minimal lace deposition. White grape, orange soda and wheaty malts on the nose, with suggestions of wheat, lemon, lactic character and orchard fruits.

The flavours follow the nose: I'm mostly getting orange juice, with hints of wheat, lemon, white grape, green apple and lactic acidity also coming through. The profile is a bit juicy-sweet, though the orange juice and lactic acidity add some sourness to the mix; orange juice fades into a citrusy, mildly tart aftertaste. Light-ish in body, with aggressive carbonation that stays crisp and prickly throughout the session. Decent drinkability, but it's not a beer I could knock back en masse.

Final Grade: 3.79, a B+. Cowbell's Mimosa Sour Ale is not really my thing, but I do think it's a palatable, beer-ified replica of the real cocktail. The Nelson Sauvin hops were a smart move, as they impart a grape-like note that assists the mimosa gimmick that they were going for - without the Nelson, it would just be fizzy orange juice mixed with a light American wheat beer. Good, but not really worth going out of your way for, unless you really love orange juice sours.