“In October of 2016 we brewed what became our first barrel-aged sour ale. Its working title was “Sour Project #1.” Incorporating some hot side lambic techniques and some techniques of our own, we brewed a beer meant to age and sour over time in a barrel. Sour Project went into used red wine barrels for 8 months. In July of 2017 we received a delivery of the freshest and no doubt the finest local peaches and nectarines from Frog Hollow Farm in Brentwood. 4 lbs per gallon of Gold Dust and Flavorcrest peaches were added to three oak barrels to ferment and mature for three months. We then racked out of barrels and bottled each fruit beer, nectarine and peach, separately.”
Glassware: Stemmed Tulip.
Appearance: Unsurprisingly peach coloured with a wispy layer of loose white bubble on top. The head quickly retreats to the rim with average lace work on the glass.
Aroma: Incredibly aromatic. As to be expected the peach dominates but it’s lovely how it throws out a bunch of adjuncts too – light florals, apricot and a somewhat musky vanilla tone. Oh man it is just so enticing! A hint of oak in there with the slightest kiss of tart lemon on the flank. Gorgeous!
Flavour: Characterized more by the tart lemon sourness as opposed to the aroma. Some fleeting hints of peach and assorted stonefruits mixed in with a little bit of yeasty funk around the mid palate. It moves in to artificial citrus, candied lemon and the crowd favourite (fruit tingles) before it finishes slightly acidic but nicely softened by a late injection of peach.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, slightly lip puckering, medium body and quite light on. Effervescent with a nicely masked 6.5% ABV.
Overall: Most definitely worth waiting for! The line up for the release day was at least an hour but it has more than made up for it. Now we’re kinda wishing we bought a few more for the cellar! Dammit! Sensational.