Not our first Siren call, we have sampled this UK brewer’s Broken Dreams and expressed our super suds appreciation. But this brew is a whole different kettle of fish. Named after an Italian liqueur*, this one is a strange and compelling combination of grapefruit sour and IPA all rolled into one shorty can. I’m partial to a ruby red for breakfast, cut to leave the pith, with a squeeze when all is said and done because the juice is worth it. Grapefruit zest can be quite a-peeling for brewski bitters. But a sour IPA sounds like an oxymoron to me, and we have had quite enough of them for one week.
My curiosity took over from what little common sense I had and I poured myself a glass of this strange brew. A golden ale hazy clear pour, a study in contradictions. Definitely a citrus sour on the nose. The taste is a fizzy, funky mild sour with a red grapefruit body and a mildly tart finish. No grapefruit bitters which I expected, maybe even hoped for. A bit of a brut this is, a champagne tingly sour. I think the lactose has countered the bitters and resulted in a dank funky mouthfeel? A mid-size swig (I wasn’t brave enough to big swig this one) reveals the sour.
As complex as its name would suggest, more of a sour than an IPA. I enjoyed it as a departure from the everyday, but it’s definitely not a go to brew. Maybe a seaside exceedingly hot day beach chair refresher tasting may score higher than an armchair chips and dip watch the ball game wing can sampling.
So, is this a fair review? Now, I’m trying to remember, who was it who said life is fair? Oh yea, that’s right, nobody, ever.
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