Blueberry Tart
Elysian Brewing Company

wow! i did not know elysian was capable of beer this good. i mean, i know theyve got the pales and ipas down, but this is other worldly. on tap as part of the hops and pie sour fest, apparently this gets continual blueberry additions for ten months or something. its awesome. barely even pink in color, surprised it isnt much darker. its also not real heady, but has some active carbonation rising up. it smells like a bourbon barrel was used, really intense vanilla aromas that show up in the flavor too, like a blueberry baked dessert more than a fruited sour beer. the sourness is subtle in the flavor, just tart enough without being real acidic. i think it lets the fruit show up more. its like those tiny wild blueberries that only grow in the northwest. very genuine use of fruit. the barrel part is what gets me though, it doesnt say bourbon, but i have to imagine it is, such a cool profile of oak and charcoal and vanilla sugar, its surely bourbon unless the berries react in some curious way with neutral oak. it gives it a richness and an elegance, highly refined, and i cant see any other fruit showing the barrel so well as the blueberries do here, its just expertly made wild ale, more bretty than sour specifically, which i think is also clever. i would love to see this packaged, its insanely unique.

RB

Healthy pour tonight from Bier Thirty in Bown Crossing... Pours a slightly hazed light orange... short lived white head.

Nose is tart with I guess is identifiable as blueberry... something there that reminds me of graham cracker.

Flavor is pretty decent mix of berry and dry sorta woody element... berry could be more pronounced IMO, but still a good attempt.

Light body with good carbonation... Good drinkability.

3.5/3.75/3.5/3.75/3.5