“Cherries paired with golden sour beers stand the test of time, which is one reason why we wanted to blend Stone Age Love, our golden sour beer aged in oak barrels with tart cherries. With 84 pounds of tart cherries per oak barrel, Stone Age Love radiates with flavours found in summer stone fruits. This sour showcases notes of fresh-picked cherries, juicy peaches, and tart plums with hints of melon.”

Glassware: Teku.

Appearance: Looks like freshly squeezed watermelon juice! It forms a short foamy head which settles to a collar. A real fine lace clings to the glass as it ebbs.

Aroma: Woooowwww! It’s been so long since we’ve had a Rare Barrel sour we forgot how God damn good they are. Sweet yet somewhat tart cherries hit the olfactories first followed by a gorgeous musty oak, a sweaty and super funky sourness, unripened peach, apricot, mixed citrus and that certain sherbet-esque/rock candy sweetness. Just a pinch of fennel, raw almond and melon for extra measure!

Flavour: Absolutely delicious. Getting more of a candied cherry note as opposed to the sweet and tart characters on the nose. The almond comes through with a distinct earthy-ness but it’s well countered by a mix of tart citrus, stonefruits and subtle pepper. While all of this is embraced by the gorgeous oak it hits a soft sherbet note late in the piece which then finishes rather sweet and nutty. Good endurance on the back end too.

Mouthfeel: Refreshing, light and crisp with a vibrant Co2. Mild-medium body. The 7.2% ABV was incredibly well concealed.

Overall: Honestly how good is Rare Barrel?! If only their beers were a bit more friendly to our wallets  nah, this was a cracking sour. It went down like water on this hot Sydney arvo. Brilliant!