Cherry Sour Blonde (2018) - Tasting Notes

This is my first attempt at a Kriek Lambic inspired Cherry Sour Blonde.  This was made with a blend of beers brewed in 2014 and 2015 as well as 11 lbs of Montmorency Sour cherries that I picked last year from a local orchard.  I picked a blend that was fairly mild in flavor and low on sourness in order to allow the cherries to shine though.  It has some nice complex brett flavors which I hoped would add complexity.

I let the beer age on the fruit for a bit over 6 months and it has now been in the bottle for 6 months.  Time to do a tasting.

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma:
• Sour cherries lead the way, earthy and musty brett character is pretty strong as well, and a little grain comes through in the background.
• Appearance:
• Pours with a 4 finger head that dissipates down to nothing in a few seconds.  Light red/pink in color.  Pours pretty clear if you're careful leaving the dregs in the bottle.
• Flavor:
• Strong cherry flavor comes through up front - it's almost like a candy cherry flavor.  A bit of brett character and bready malt come through as well although in the background.  Sourness is assertive but fairly well balanced with the other flavors.
• Mouthfeel:
• Light bodied and very dry.  Slight prickle in the back of the throat from the acidity.  It's very refreshing and pretty easy drinking.
• Overall:
• A really nice cherry beer that puts the fruit front and center.  The base beer comes through enough to add a bit of complexity with brett flavors to keep things more interesting.  Really refreshing beer as well.