Sphinx
Mortalis Brewing Co.

Funnily enough, I just finished drinking an entirely unrelated beer called Riddle Of The Sphinx. Anyhow, this can is concerning me a bit, as it’s easily caving in before opening. I don’t have the highest hopes because of this, but hopefully it’s decent

Pours an opaque deep purple with no head and leaves no lacing. I was expecting an under fill based on how the can felt, but it was actually overfilled and exploded on me a little

The nose is quite straightforward but also very nice. I’m picking up on aromas of jammy blackberry, pineapple juice, vanilla ice cream, cocoa powder, toasted coconut, and light almond

It loses its edge a bit in taste, leaning further into the sweeter notes. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting pineapple sorbet, vanilla, overripe mango, jammy blackberry, almond, and light cocoa powder. The swallow brings notes of jammy blackberry, overripe pineapple, walnut, cocoa powder, vanilla ice cream, and light coconut

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth beer. Finishes neutral but a bit sweet

Mortalis certainly can and has done better, but I can still get down with this

 

Drank from a 1 pint/16 fl.oz. can purchased at Gordon’s Fine Wines & Liquors, Watertown, MA
Served in a tulip

Wow, what a crazy looking beer. It was super thick and viscous, even by Mortalis’s standards. Deep violet hued. Basically the same color as the can. As the beer settled into the glass, it initially seemed to lack any kind of head, but then a number of bubbles reverse cascaded to the top of the liquid, and an inch-tall, super thick and creamy, dark mauve crown rise above the body. As the beer receded, a blanket of chunky sediment coated the glass and stuck around until the drink’s end.

The aroma was impressive. Pineapple came through strongest. Good dose of coconut as well. A piña colada definitely came to mind. Loads of berry character too. Blackberry was most prominent. Nice balance of sweet and tart. There was also a creamy vanilla and/or lactose-like quality. This must have been the ice cream.

The flavor profile was nearly as impressive as the nose. Blackberry notes came through strong up front. Like the nose, nice balance between sweet and tart. Lots of pineapple and coconut in the center. Very tropical. More berries and berry seed-like tartness on the back end and the finish. Hint of bitterness too.

Excellent dense, creamy mouthfeel. The fullest of full bodied for the style. Smoothly-like in the most extreme way imaginable. The liquid contained a fine, subtle effervescence that worked nicely.

Mortalis’s fruited sours are always fun to drink, and this beer stands out as one of their more memorable releases to date. The fruit additions were super punchy and bright, and the mouthfeel was really intense. Despite the fact that this contained ice cream, the beer was neither kitschy nor excessively sweet in the least bit.

This one is purple with about a half inch of foamy stuff on top. It's pretty enough.

Smells like pineapple and ice cream, then a pretty strong blackberry and just a wee bit of coconut. Dessert in a cup.

The taste flips a bit with the berry component coming through strong along with the ice cream. The pineapple works its way in eventually, and the coconut stays nicely in the background. It's fairly sweet with a mild berry tartness. There's a blackberry seed flavor that is kinda noticeable as a bitterness, not our of place assuming they used blackberry puree or whole fruit.

It's thick, it's juicy, it's darn near chewy. But it clears quickly from the palate.

Another fun concoction from Mortalis that has a barely noticeable beer component. But ya know what? It tastes good and these are a treat.