Standard
Sonnen Hill Brewing

 

375 mL bottle from the Toronto Brewing 2021 advent calendar; no packaging date. Served slightly chilled. Described as a 'foeder beer' on their website, so I'm assuming there'll be some level of funk here.

Clear pale golden in colour, topped with half an inch of soapy, foamy white head that fades within a minute or two. A modest collar of suds is the primary remnant; no cap or lace to speak of. Smells tart and tangy - it does say 'mixed culture' on the label, so perhaps Brett is responsible? Leathery, funky, lots of oak barrel and some mildly vinous/white wine-y notes, with hints of peach, apple, orange and grainy pale malts.

Quite flavourful for only 4.5%; mildly sour, but not as sour as the nose led me to believe. Sweet apple flesh and apricot at the forefront, with grainy malts, leather and tart green apple following up the rear; slightly vinous, with oak building up towards the finish, which is a bit tart and funky. Lingering lemon and orchard fruitiness, with oak tannins drying out the leathery aftertaste. Light in body, with lively carbonation that feels crisp and prickly on the tongue; excellent drinkability.

Final Grade: 4.08, an A-. Sonnen Hill's Standard comes with a bare bones label that offers few clues upon which to base your expectations. It's bottle conditioned, 'mixed culture' fermentation, and 4.5% - that's about everything you get. I found this to be somewhat akin to oaked Belgian pales such as Petrus Pale, albeit much lighter and subdued in most respects - one of the few beers of this sort that I think I could drink a few of in a row. Fans of funky sour brews looking for something a bit lighter, more refreshing, and less palate-exhausting should absolutely seek this out.