Sour Brown
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant

On tap @ Iron Hill Media on 10/16/11. Served in a 10 oz goblet. This was the “Secret Sour” of the day. An American Brown Ale fermented with a Brettanomyces strain from Drie Fonteinen.

Pours a deep clear copper, with a thin head of bright-white foam. This maintains some creamy bunching around the edges of the glass, with a rich flare-up to this that leaves back thick swathes of lacing. The aroma has a fresh Brett aroma to it, with an earthy tart blast of lemon character that is layered on top of sweeter notes of cocoa, toffee, and a light nutty roastiness from that base Brown Ale. I’m not getting too much of the hops here, with maybe some gentle green flavor that mingles with the wild character. There is a touch of acidity to this on the edges of the nose.

The yeast once again provides a crisp fresh tartness here to the taste, which trails some light funky earth out into the palate. Malts add some sticky sweetness to the proceedings, while green citric hops and some burnt roasted notes fills out the back of the profile, finishing this dry, burnt, and earthy feeling. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a sharp carbonation in the mouth the whole way through. Fortunately, it’s not too prickly though, with this possessing more of a crisp creaminess that compliments the funky tartness of that wild yeast.

This was decent. While the Brett didn’t clash with any of those Brown Ale flavors, it didn’t exactly contribute a whole lot of excitement to this either (at least in the taste). If you’re craving a sour beer, this would do you good in a pinch but it isn’t anything to exactly get you fired up about either.