Cranky Reviews

Roll Out the Barrel

Scotch Sour

Beer Type

11 to 14

11 to 14

Honourable Mentions
15 to 20

15 to 20

Super Suds

Rating

Roll Out the Barrel

Bourbon Barrel Scotch Sour

Brock St. Brewing Co.

8.7% Alcohol

Mark from Brock Street: Thanks for the great review on our Pilsner. If you wanna try something really unique check out our bourbon barrel sours. These were barrel aged for two years in bourbon barrels. If you like a natural (not kettle soured) sour beer, this might be right up your alley.

COM Reviewer: I am game for anything, but you should be forewarned, I have not had great success with sours as is evident from this review. Pucker Up.

Mark from Brock Street: Understood. Lol. This beer we brewed is crazy on the taste buds. Malty, touch of bourbon, slight oak, plums and cherry finish. I’m no sour guy but this is my go to. Be prepared to have your taste buds confused and excited.*

Confused and excited? For me that’s the keys lost, keys found sequence and they are mutually exclusive events. I like Brock Street beers and the team there. That’s why I was a bit reluctant to try this crazy sour. My history with sours has been mixed, and I was not sympathetic to Innis & Gunn’s Bourbon Scotch Ale. ** But we are committed to honest reviews so I was ready, not eager but ready, to tear this sour a second one if it didn’t measure up.

This brew pours dark, my first thought was root beer hazy dark. A high ABV head, as in next to none. It has a mild Bourbon slight sour aroma, not as aggressive as the ABV or as scary as the name. First swig and you guessed it, my taste buds were confused and excited at the same time. A very interesting taste, again as a sour it does not really taste like any traditional brew. Mild bourbon undertones, mild sour, let’s see what transpires. The mild sour results in a tang for a finish. It is full flavoured but not overpowering, smooth. The High ABV is not really noticeable, I think the sour tang hides the boozy. As it warmed the bourbon became a bit more prominent but the whole brew (if I can call it that) was smooth with a mild tang for a finish.

I started out excited and confused, by the end of this high ABV sour I was smiling, dazed and confused***.  Sours aren’t for everyone but this one was a unique, interesting and enjoyable experience. I have a few more in the beer fridge which I shall put to good use.

*Editor’s Comment: According to Mark from Brock Street: Sours are either kettle soured or traditionally soured. Kettle sour is a brewer’s trick to sour a beer in a stainless brew kettle by adding lactobacillus, then boiling it to kill the souring healthy bacteria, then fermented like a normal beer. This takes 3-4 weeks to make. It is controlled so no risk of loss. This beer is barrel soured. Beer aged in an oak barrels that naturally ferment in the barrel. The healthy bacteria in the wood naturally ferments and sours the beer over 1-2 years. The time to complete this process could even take longer and the taste evolves over time. There is risk of loss, as the process depends on the environment of each barrel. This is how 1400 German monks made beer. This is how our bourbon barrel sour was made.

**Editor’s Comment: We had some feedback from a few Innis & Gunn fans about this review and based on that feedback we added a comment section to every review. And if one of these COM reviewer’s slams your favourite brew (and I don’t mean chugs it) please submit a comment or a guest review to set the record straight.

***Editor’s Comment: Dazed and Confused is a song on Led Zeppelin’s debut album released in 1969. The song was originally penned by Jake Holmes in a folkrock style. The Yardbirds covered the song but Zeppelin’s version was a departure from the original, so much so that Holmes was not given writing credit on it. Holmes attempted to contact Page in the 1980s regarding the songwriting credit but received no response. In 2010, Holmes filed a lawsuit and the matter was settled out of court, with the credit on Led Zeppelin releases being changed to "Jimmy Page, inspired by Jake Holmes".

Final Rating: Excited and Confused, Often at 14.5 out of 20

Scotch Sour

Beer Type

11 to 14

11 to 14

Honourable Mentions
15 to 20

15 to 20

Super Suds

Rating

Other Info

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