Welcome to the March 2024 Sour Beer Box, an exciting collection curated exclusively for members of Beer Dad's Craft Beer Club. This month, we embark on a journey into the tantalizing world of sour beers, featuring eight cans of expertly crafted brews that promise to delight the palate with their tart and fruity flavours. From classic fruit sours to innovative flavours combinations, each beer in this collection offers a unique taste experience that celebrates the vibrant diversity of sour beer styles. Join us as we explore the refreshing tanginess, vibrant fruitiness, and delightful complexity of these sour ales, raising a glass to bold flavours and unforgettable taste adventures. Cheers to discovery, exploration, and the joy of sour beers!
In the hallowed realm of beer, where innovation meets tradition, each sip unfurls a tapestry of flavours, an intricate dance of ingredients. Enter the Gravity Well x Howling Hops collaboration, E=JamC^2, a testament to this artistic alchemy. This Jam Sour, born of raspberry and blackcurrant, takes a celestial leap by incorporating homemade jam, resulting in a symphony of tangy sweetness and fruity complexity. As it touches the palate, bursts of vibrant berry flavours dance across the taste buds, harmonizing with the sour tang and leaving a lingering impression of jammy bliss.
Interesting Fact: Jam sours represent a modern twist on traditional sour beers, incorporating fruit preserves to enhance both flavours and texture, offering a unique sensory experience.
Pair this celestial elixir with a cheeseboard adorned with sharp cheddar and tangy goat cheese to contrast its fruity sweetness. The tartness of the beer also complements savoury dishes like roasted duck or grilled lamb, offering a refreshing counterpoint to rich and hearty flavours. For a sweet finale, indulge in a slice of berry tart or dark chocolate cake to echo the beer's fruity notes, creating a symphony of flavours that dance on the palate.
New Bristol's Mango & Lime Lassi Gose beckons with the promise of a tropical escape, encapsulating the essence of sunshine in a can. This Gose, bursting with the luscious sweetness of mango and the zesty brightness of lime, transports the imbiber to a paradise of flavours. With each sip, the tangy tartness of the Gose style intermingles with the tropical fruitiness, creating a symphony of sensations that dance across the palate. The addition of salt adds a refreshing salinity, reminiscent of ocean breezes, balancing the sweetness and enhancing the beer's overall complexity.
Interesting Fact: Gose is a traditional German beer style originating from Goslar, known for its tartness and slight saltiness, often achieved through the addition of coriander and salt.
Pair this tropical delight with spicy cuisine like Thai curry or Mexican tacos to contrast its sweetness and enhance its fruity flavours. The beer's refreshing acidity also makes it a perfect match for seafood dishes like ceviche or grilled shrimp, complementing the natural brininess of the seafood. For a refreshing dessert pairing, serve it alongside a mango sorbet or key lime pie to echo the beer's tropical fruit notes and cleanse the palate with a burst of citrus.
Brass Castle's Dune Bug offers a refreshing twist on the classic Gose style, infusing it with the flavours of lemon and samphire for a unique and invigorating experience. As the name suggests, this beer conjures images of sandy shores and salty sea breezes, transporting the drinker to a coastal paradise with each sip. The brisk tartness of the lemon harmonizes with the subtle saltiness of samphire, creating a flavours profile that is both refreshing and revitalizing. With a crisp, dry finish, Dune Bug leaves a lasting impression of summer days spent by the sea.
Interesting Fact: Samphire, also known as sea asparagus or sea beans, is a coastal plant known for its crisp texture and salty flavours, making it a popular ingredient in seafood dishes and, more recently, craft beer.
Pair this seaside-inspired Gose with fresh seafood like oysters or grilled fish to complement its briny undertones. The beer's tartness also makes it a great match for dishes with citrus-based sauces or marinades, enhancing the brightness of the flavours. For a light and refreshing pairing, serve it alongside a salad of mixed greens, avocado, and citrus segments to echo the beer's coastal vibe and accentuate its lemony zest.
Quantock's Is This The Way To Amaretto presents a tantalizing homage to the classic British pastry, the cherry bakewell. This premium sour beer pours a magnificent deep red, evoking visions of ripe cherries and almond-infused delights. Brewed with an abundance of lactose, cherry purée, and ground almonds, it strikes a perfect balance between tartness and sweetness. With each sip, the palate is enveloped in the rich flavours of cherries and almonds, accompanied by a subtle creaminess from the lactose. The result is a sweet and refreshing beer that captures the essence of its pastry inspiration.
Interesting Fact: Bakewell tart, the inspiration behind this beer, originated in the town of Bakewell in Derbyshire, England, in the 19th century. It features a shortcrust pastry base filled with jam, frangipane, and topped with flaked almonds.
Pair this indulgent sour beer with decadent desserts like cherry bakewell tart or almond cake to complement its rich flavours. The beer's sweetness also makes it a great match for creamy desserts like panna cotta or custard tart, enhancing the dessert's sweetness while providing a tart contrast. For a savoury pairing, try serving it alongside roasted duck or pork loin with a cherry glaze to echo the beer's fruity notes and create a harmonious balance of flavours.
Cloudwater's Peach & Passionfruit Gentle Breeze offers a refreshing and vibrant take on the fruited sour style, capturing the essence of freshly picked peaches and tangy passion fruit. With a focus on smoothness and crushability, this beer layers juicy fruit flavours atop a soft and smooth base, creating a harmonious balance of sweetness and acidity. As it graces the palate, waves of peach and passion fruit wash over the senses, accompanied by a tart and zippy acidity that awakens the taste buds. Despite its modest ABV, Gentle Breeze delivers big on flavours, making it a perfect companion for leisurely sipping on a warm summer day.
Interesting Fact: Peaches are believed to have originated in China over 4,000 years ago and have since become a beloved fruit in many cultures around the world. Passion fruit, native to South America, is known for its vibrant flavours and aromatic qualities, making it a popular ingredient in beverages and desserts.
Pair this refreshing sour beer with light and fresh dishes like grilled shrimp skewers or a peach and arugula salad to complement its fruity flavours. The beer's acidity also makes it a great match for tangy cheeses like goat cheese or feta, cutting through their richness and cleansing the palate. For a sweet pairing, serve it alongside a tropical fruit salad or coconut panna cotta to enhance the beer's tropical vibe and create a delightful symphony of flavours.
Brew York's I Love Brew York Raspberry, Guava & Rose Sour pays homage to an iconic tourism slogan while delivering a burst of fruity and floral goodness. This sour beer is a symphony of juicy guava, tangy raspberries, and zesty lemon, balanced with delicate notes of creamy vanilla and a touch of rose. As it pours, the vibrant hues hint at the explosion of flavours to come. Each sip offers a journey through tropical paradise, with the tartness of the fruits complemented by the floral essence of rose. The creamy vanilla adds a luscious texture, rounding out the beer's profile and leaving a lingering sensation of pure indulgence.
Interesting Fact: Rose petals have been used in brewing for centuries, prized for their aromatic qualities and delicate floral notes. In addition to adding fragrance and flavours, rose petals can contribute to the beer's complexity and depth.
Pair this delightful sour beer with spicy cuisine like Thai green curry or Mexican street tacos to contrast its fruity sweetness and enhance its vibrant flavours. The beer's acidity also makes it a great match for rich and creamy dishes like butter chicken or coconut shrimp, cutting through the richness and providing a refreshing contrast. For a sweet pairing, serve it alongside a slice of raspberry cheesecake or lemon tart to echo the beer's fruity notes and create a harmonious balance of flavours.
Brick's Strawberry & Cucumber Sour captures the essence of British summertime with a delightful combination of sweet strawberries and refreshing cucumbers. This sour beer presents a symphony of flavours, with the sweetness of the strawberries balanced by the crispness of the cucumbers. Each sip offers a refreshing burst of fruity sweetness, followed by a cooling wave of cucumber freshness that invigorates the palate. The complex tartness of the house lactobacillus cultures adds depth and complexity, creating a harmonious balance of flavours that evoke memories of lazy summer afternoons.
Interesting Fact: Cucumbers have a high-water content and are naturally refreshing, making them a popular ingredient in beverages and cocktails, especially during the summer months. When paired with strawberries, they create a unique and refreshing flavours combination.
Pair this summertime sour beer with light and fresh dishes like grilled chicken salad or cucumber sandwiches to complement its fruity and refreshing qualities. The beer's tartness also makes it a great match for seafood dishes like shrimp ceviche or grilled fish tacos, enhancing the flavours and providing a refreshing contrast. For a sweet pairing, serve it alongside a strawberry shortcake or cucumber sorbet to highlight the beer's fruity notes and create a delightful summertime dessert experience.
Pretty Decent's There's A U In Quit Raspberry & Strawberry Sour offers a tantalizing blend of sweet and tart flavours, reminiscent of a summer berry patch in full bloom. With a medley of raspberries and strawberries, this sour beer bursts with vibrant fruitiness from the first sip to the last. The natural sweetness of the berries is balanced by a refreshing tartness, creating a harmonious flavours profile that dances on the palate. Each sip unfolds like a symphony of flavours, with the tangy raspberries complementing the luscious sweetness of the strawberries, resulting in a beer that is both refreshing and indulgent.
Interesting Fact: Raspberries and strawberries are both members of the rose family and are prized for their vibrant colours and sweet-tart flavours profiles. In addition to being delicious, they are also rich in vitamins and antioxidants, making them a popular choice for both culinary and brewing purposes.
Pair this delightful sour beer with light and fresh dishes like mixed berry salad or grilled chicken with strawberry salsa to complement its fruity flavours. The beer's tartness also makes it a great match for creamy cheeses like brie or goat cheese, cutting through the richness and cleansing the palate. For a sweet pairing, serve it alongside a berry crumble or strawberry shortcake to enhance the beer's fruity notes and create a deliciously satisfying dessert experience.