Cactus Wins The Lottery
Ex Novo Brewing

 

 

Sparkling pour, light amber with a bit of peachy tint. Pleasant fruity nose. Refreshing, light on the tongue. The cactus flavor is there, having used prickly pear cactus in a few dishes in years past. We'd prefer it on a warm summer afternoon and not on a dark, damp December evening.

 

Look: Clear pinkish-orange yellow with a nice but wispy head forming that recedes quickly, leaving no lacing
Aroma: Prickly pear fruit, citrus, tart Lactobacillus, a little wheat-led sweetness, and some fruity esters
Taste: Starts out wheat and cactus fruit, joined quickly by the tartness and some citrus-led fruit notes. The tartness lingers in the middle before a sweeter fruit-led note finishes things out
Mouthfeel: Spritzy and light, high carbonation, and not all that dry on the finish
Overall: Tasty and a great hot weather quencher. A well-made take on the style and a good balance between tart and sweet so as not too heavy in either direction – plus the wheat is not completely covered up. I love the prickly pear cactus fruit in this too. A tasty and tart treat

 

 

 

 

 

12oz can poured into Duvel tulip, Picked it up at the grocery store for $2. CANNED ON 06/07/19 printed on bottom rim of can, so this one is only 2 weeks old. Very fresh.

Appearance - Pours a very large sudsy white head with decent retention, semi-patchy stick. Body is opaque orange-pink. 4.25

Smell - Smells round and oaty with some of that sourness underneath. 3.75

Taste - The taste is pretty much second to mouthfeel. But it's sour apple tartness followed by an extremely clean, pleasant aftertaste. 5

Mouthfeel - Acidic bite up front but quickly softens up into a very clean body and even cleaner finish. Very refreshing and invigorating. 5

Overall - Absolutely love it. Maybe it's because I just really love the style in general, but even with that bias I try to rate in style. And this is really great. Both in how refreshing it is, and the amazing price. Great sours used to cost a whole lot more, in big fancy bottles, and were relatively hard to find. I'm loving the quality and accessibility here. 5

 

 

 

Honestly, I'm giving this a high score for looks as it reminds me of a true Berliner mit raspberry syrup. The grapefruit pink hue and the thin and snappy white head look the part and sound the part as well.

Acidic vinegar, grapefruit, and "tunas" dominate the aroma, but within the depths lies a mild but fine bad of cereal grains.

The flavor makes me think of soured watermelon, kind of like those Sour Patch Kids. Grapefruit is the next level followed by the cereal grain once again playing the perfect supporting role.

Obviously quite tart, but perceived even more so thanks to that snappy carbonation. Not Pop Rocks snappy, but definitely above spritzy. It's light, and rediculously easy to drink, though it does lack some sourness.

Another winner from Ex Novo. Cactus does indeed Win The Lottery. Cheers.

 

 

 

 

This is a beer like no other I've tasted. It has a strange cactus nose but tastes like a Berliner. When I take a sip it's flavor transforms on my tongue. The cactus comes out over about two seconds. It's weird and funky. But I like it overall.