Mysterious Ravine V1
Humble Forager Brewery

 

 

Deliciously built on the backs of tangerine and passionfruit, Humble Forager kicks off their Mysterious Ravine series with this Volume 1. Sour, juicy and packed with fruit, the only thing mysterious about this beer is how do they pack it with so much fruit?

Densely turbid with a bright yet opaque hue of orange and sitting largely frothless in the glass, the beer looks much the part orange juice with heavy pulp. The scent does little to vary from those o.j. connotations as its scent is tangy, fruit, slightly winey, slightly musty and trailing with a faint herbal perfume. Bold sweetness seems candied with taffy, sourdough, marmalade and straight, unresolved, condensed fructose.

As the ale splashes the middle palate, its fruit flavors come alive with the bold and certain uniqueness of tangerine and passionfruit for this radiant and branch-ripe intertwine of citrus and tropical fruit punch. Equipped with sherbet flavors and an overall jammy texture, the beer's full fruit flavor is balance with a moderate vinous acidity and a mild herbal bite of sassafras, verbena and tannin.

Full bodied for sour although the ale strives for an acidic dryness to finish. But a final taste of sweet and sourness lingers into a slightly hoppy and bitter finish that more true of the fruits used than just their juiciness and pulp. Volume 1 is a delicious beer that's likely to leave the palate thirsty as well.

 

 

 

Tasted in a Rastal Teku glass from a one pint can on June 15, 2021.