Chasing Rainbows
Oliver Brewing Company

I got a late start on NBS (Week 774) & I did not finish up my DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure as planned. 8=( Further, I promised that NBS (Week 775) would be dedicated to the wonderful beers sent to me by @jkblr who seems to have a real handle on my drinking habits. CANsparency is key in these things! As a result, I am going to CANcentrate over the next few days on eradicating everything that would have CANbined to form the finale of the DelMarVa (+ DC) adventure. Sit down, strap in & hang on. It's gonna be a wild ride! Oliver BC is becoming my Hydra in that every time I think that I am done with Steve Jones' brewery, seven more CANs Pop! up to take its place! 8=O

From the CAN: "Sour India Pale Ale w/Blueberries and Lactose"; "After the Storm"; "This limited-release Kettle Soured IPA is fermented with pureed Blueberries for the perfect balance of sweet and sour."; "Oliver Brewing Co. has been proudly brewing craft beer in Baltimore, MD since 1993."

I was actually rather anxious to put Oliver BC & 2019 in my rear-view mirror at this point so I Crack!ed open the vent & beCAN my last slow, gentle C-Line Glug of their beers for the year. I shouldn't be surprised by much of anything at this point, but watching it form a finger of fizzy, foamy, rocky, pinkish-white head caused my jaw to drop! Sadly, it fizzled away & out of existence pretty quickly. Color was a Blush pinkish-Amber (SRM = N/A) with NE-quality clarity. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not watery, but far removed. The taste was tart blueberries & since they have done themselves the disservice of calling it an "AIPA", I must review it as such. That said, it had as much in CANmon with the style as a dog does with a chicken! It was excellent as a kettle-soured AmeriCAN Wild Ale, but poor as an AIPA. It seemed to be hop-free or as CAN afterthought with no perceptible bitterness. Instead, it had a lovely tart blueberry flavor, like blueberry lemonade. Mmm. It was nicely tart & refreshing, but it did NOTHING for me as a hophead. Finish was fruity, tart & dry. If this makes if for you as an AIPA, so be it. Not for me. YMMV.

 

 

 

appearance: a dark pink, almost like a pink grapefruit juice but more red. poured with a nice very light pink (almost white) head but that dissipated quickly.

smell: sweet, fruity, resiny. the fruit smells of blueberries with a mild hoppy resin-like scent.

taste: very fruity, very sour. it's brewed with blueberry puree and it's obvious. this is a very sweet beer, but it balances quite well with the sourness.

feel: creamy and medium-bodied. the sourness adds an interesting sensation on top of the creaminess. nicely carbonated, not overly so.

overall: a good sour beer. it's quite sweet, so i would consider it a sipping type of beer, as opposed to a session beer. but it definitely sticks to the sour part of "kettle soured IPA", even if i don't get all the IPA notes i was expecting.


edit 9/3/18: a second version of this beer has come out, and it's a kettle sour with peaches, apricots, lactose, and several types of hops. i'll just add this review to that

appearance (3/5): looks almost like a hazy pale ale, but a bit darker. decent head that quickly fizzles out. the appearance isn't anything out of the ordinary.
smell (3.5/5): it has almost a mango-like smell; it's tropical and sweet but with a distinct hoppy pine scent. slight hints of stone fruit shine through.
taste (4/5): the initial taste is very reminiscent of grapefruit. right off the bat, the sourness shines through. as it goes down, the flavor becomes more like apricot blended with peach, and the sourness mellows out. as the aftertaste comes in, the peach dominates.
feel (4/5): nice carbonation, definitely makes this beer more enjoyable. on the middle of the tongue it's almost like a tart fruit juice. in addition to that, this beer is very smooth and easily drinkable.