Exultation
Pretentious Barrel House

Dragging sour ale into the darkness, Pretentious Barrel House turns to pomegranate and blackcurrant for a wintry tint to their spicy sour ale for uniqueness, charm and a robust fruit flavor.

With a depth of purple, dark mauve and burgundy, Exultation kicks off with a spritzy pour that illuminates the nose with a bright and tangy scent of dark fruit, citrus, cider and wine. Juicy with dark fruit flavor, the early palate introductions hinge on light jam, wafer and taffy.

As the bolder berry flavors set a red wine tone, the undercurrent of sourness hits the seams of flavor with lime, lemon, gooseberry, crabapple and yuzu. With other dark fruit nuances of red grape, plum and blackberry showing, the ale trends in a slightly peppery, woodsy and musty direction with hints of cellar-like must coming in a retro-olfactory wihimsy for balance and complexity.

Medium light in body, the beer's bolder fruit display seems to an aspect of heft while the bracing sourness keeps the session dry, acidic and highly palatable. Its a delicious beer that has the familiarity of simpler kettle sour ales but with subtle hints of spicier lambic as well.

500 ml bottle, bottled on 6/6/2018. Served in a Teku glass, the beer pours a hazy golden/orange color with about a half inch off-white head. Head retention and lacing are both decent enough. Aroma is fruity and tart, the brew smells like cherries, currants, pomegranate and earthiness. Taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some funk, lime, and grainy malt flavors noticeable too. More tart than sweet, but gets a little sweeter as it warms. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium, it's coating, smooth and easy to drink. I think this is a good sour ale, but then I've liked pretty much everything I've had from Pretentious so far. $12.99 a bottle.