Score: 93
Bottles 10/09/13. Served in a Kate the Great snifter and enjoyed on 01/20/14.
Appearance: Pours a dark and murky purplish red raspberry color, with a fizzy head that quickly dissipates. No lacing or retention. Nice color, though. 4/5
Smell: Big raspberry here -- juicy, jammy, vinaigrette, candied. Vinegar and lacto, some lemon zest. Faint barnyard notes and a subtle cracker/wheat character too. Bright, apparent sourness on the nose. 4.25/5
Taste: What dominates and hits instantly, just like the nose, is the big raspberry flavor. Tart, juicy and candied, the sour raspberry coats the palate with sharply, followed by a residual sweetness. Has a nice sour bite upfront. As the tart pucker mellows, the juiciness dries out. Finishes with residual sweet raspberry, lacto and a subtle mix of barnyard flavor and wheat. Has a bit of a bitterness towards the finish. Notes of oak and granny smith apples too. 4.25/5
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, low carbonation. Starts with a puckering sour bite, followed by an underlying sweetness and a light finishing bitterness. Juicy mouthfeel on the palate, a bit more dry on the finish. 4.25/5
Overall: Like a sour warhead candy with a lacto character, the big berry flavor greatly overshadows the the barnyard base characters that are mostly present towards the finish. If you like your sours to be bright and fruity with a big acidic pucker, then this is your beer. Pairs great with goat cheese walnut salad with bitter greens. This is one of my favorite Upland's sours.
Cost: $25 for a 750 ml bottle.
No comments:
Post a Comment