The SS Menno
Little Creatures Brewing Company

On tap at GABS festival, May 2014.

Pours a red colour. Fairly cloudy with some suspended sediment in there. Cream-coloured head, fairly large bubbles that doesn't stick around. Shame about the head, otherwise looks great.

Smells Bretty. Fruity characters around the edge with grapefruit, touch of cider and a fair bit of horse blanket. Touch of grape as well at the back. Pleasant wildness.

Taste is a bit light. Chardonnay kind of character with a touch of buttery oak. Green apple midway that gets reasonably tart and finishes with a fair whallop of barnyard. Some funky notes late. Decent.

Feels smooth, although body is fairly light on.

Decent sour beer. Nice characters, good complexity.

A blended wild-fermented beer with added plums aged on oak for 15 months. Tried on-tap at GABS 2014 in Melbourne.

Very pink in colour from the plums and very hazy from, well, probably all the shit that's been happening to it. Head is pink and leaves a flimsy ring after a while that leaves no lace. Body is light, and allow little streams of carbonation to pass through with little interference. Looks decent enough.

Nose is very nice. Gueuze-like funk comes through with oak and proper sharp acidity. There's a little sweetness noticeable too that gives a touch of sherbet—this is perhaps a little out of character, but otherwise I really approve. Very nice aromatic stuff.

Light jammy sweetness on the front doesn't really ever get cleaned out, despite a fairly noticeable aspic acidity that leans heavily on the oakiness. Rose comes through as well, lending a little smoothness. On the back we get the fruit: not just the plum and sherbet, but an aroma like strawberry as well which lingers on the aftertaste. Feel is light but smooth.

Overall, I really like it. I have a feeling this is the first sour I've had from Little Creatures, but it sure is an auspicious beginning. Let's hope they ramp up a few more in the future.