Dracula
Corporate Ladder Brewing Company

Billed as as a gluten-free dessert beer conditioned on red currant, Montmorency cherry and fluff, Corperate Ladder has become masters of turning a seltzer based drink and making it sour ale to avoid the grain and to appease those who may be afraid of the grain. But there's no reason to be afraid of the dark anymore.

Deep and blood red, Dracula pours an initial frothy but mostly fizzy, creamy and syrupy density. As the drink settles, the scent swoons with sweet cherry, simple sweet confectioner's sweetness and red berry. One sip reveals the character of cherry glaze with a twinge of taffy, candy and honey.

As a tartness rises, the brisk acidity of red currant, cherry and underlying citrus, cider and wine sourness adds a balance to take an edge off of the cloyingly sweet fruity coating that's non-relinquishing sticky coating to the softer tissues of the mouth. Much like melted suckers, the session concludes with a sweet and tart balance that circulates around the simplistic fruit additions.

Full bodies, sweet and truly dessert-like, what this session is, is absolutely delicious. But what it isn't, is beer. Its basically alcoholic candy. Nothing to be afraid of here.