Sour Me - Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
DuClaw Brewing Co.

Coming off of the summer months, DuClaw Brewing is having a hard time letting go of the warmer weather. Extending the season, they're rolling out a strawberry and rhubarb sour ale that's keeping the tastebuds on vacation time.

Pale golden straw, the beer doesn't have any sight of the rouge fruits. But floating above its zesty white cap lies a scent of tartness, red berries, cider, wine and citrus. As the first taste beckons, a mild mannered pastry-driven maltiness captures the essesnce of sourdough, croissant, taffy and agave.

But while the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Sour Me washes the middle palate, it carries away the thirst with the succulent and tangy flavors of exactly strawberry and rhubarb in their most under-ripened, green and radiant taste. While the underlying sourness of green apple, lime, lemon, gooseberry, white grape and grapefruit tease the tastebuds, the beer trends tart, brisk and with a faint grassy hop balance.

Carrying the load, its the brisk acidity that carries the balance against the light pastry crust malts that linger on the late palate, finishing with a clean sour taste and a hint of sourdough and burlap once more. A quick finish of the red fruits leads to a fast aftertaste of spritzers.

16 oz can with no date stamp from the Wall of Beer in Clemson SC ($2.89).
This is fruity and moderately sour for the style. Good balance and harmony,particularity for a sour. The flavor carries strawberry notes and a hint of pie crust but still bears a very limited resemblance to strawberry rhubarb pie.

The more I drink the more I like