Abandoned At The Altar
Heritage Hops Brew Co

473 mL can from TBS; dated Dec 3 2021 and served slightly chilled.

Pours foggy and translucent, its body a pale salmon pinkish colour; situated atop is half a finger of loose, fizzy white head that is in a hurry to be somewhere else. It leaves behind an utterly barren surface, with no sign of lace whatsoever - looks pretty underwhelming, even for a kettle sour. Very light lactic sourness on the nose, in addition to wheaty grain, floral hops and subtle raspberry fruitiness - it's an understated aroma, i.e. not at all "in my face", but I still like it.

Not bad at all - it leans toward the tart side, but only just. Tart raspberry, lemon and lactic sharpness, with more of a sweet raspberry purée/juice flavour developing by the midpoint. Hints of raspberry seed and grassy, lightly floral hop bitterness round out the back end, with more tart raspberry and lemon lingering momentarily into the aftertaste, which is faintly funky. Light in body, with moderate carbonation that prickles and prods the surface of the tongue, giving a crisp, lively component to this brew's smooth mouthfeel. Quite drinkable for a sour - this glass wouldn't last long on a hot patio circa two months from now.

Final Grade: 3.66, a B grade. Fruity kettle sours have exploded in popularity over the last half decade, and raspberry sours in particular have always been right at the epicenter. That is to say, everyone and their grandmother is brewing a raspberry sour these days - and that's fine by me, because I love raspberries and the odds are at least a few of those brews will be outstanding. I don't think I'd go that far with Abandoned at the Altar, but it's still a quaffable, refreshing raspberry sour that would make for a nice, tart summer tipple. Worth a tick - I'm not always in the mood for sour stuff, but I'd buy this again if it sticks around.