6.8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

Bottle split at MBCW '22 (Massive Beer Celebration Watford), thanks to the Bearded Avenger, 13/05/22. Lightly hazed golden blonde with a decent white covering. Nose is tangy fruit esters, ginger, straw, grains. Taste comprises tangy fruit esters, ginger snap, grass, straw, grains, salt lick. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, light drying close. Not bad.

7

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle from the ISBF21 box. Aroma had popping raspberry and a saline streak. Light ginger. Clear ruby red. Thin foamy ranslucent white head had a pink tinge. Heavy sour. My grandmother would be dumping sugar all over these raspberries. The ginger had presence but it's not overbearing. Salty buzz. Light. Thin if slick. Average-fizzy carbonation. Enjoyable. It works without being all up in yer face.

7.5

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle from the Grumpy Goat, Reading. New brewery for me. Bright red with a moderate effervescence and a rapidly vanishing baby-pink head. Mild tartness and dryness. Blackberries, obviously. Redcurrant jam and raspberry leaves. A hint of oaty biscuits which is unusual in a sour but rather pleasant. A whisper of black pepper and vanilla. Lasting aftertaste of raspberry ripple ice cream. Quite an elegant-tasting brew actually, I can imagine this being good for food pairing. I rather enjoyed it. Nice one.

8

Damn good. Great raspberry flavour and a nice tart finish. #VISBF2

7

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

[33cl bottle from the Hive Beer Cafe, Crowthorne.] A hazy amber pour with a sparse white head; sour fruity aroma, reminding me of cider apples; initial sweet mango taste, then sharp and acidic before settling down to a tangy fruit body; then a long drier finish leaving a trace of salt on the lips. A pleasant sour.

7.2

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle bought at Tasting Barn, nr Wokingham. Aroma of powdery coffee. Underlying sweeter berries. Dark and glossy. Creamy beige head soon fades away. The coffee berries are to the fore - tangy sourness. Yes, tangy is the operative word. However the bitter black coffee is also assertive and us there throughout. Light-medium bodied. Creamy yet still thin. Prickly relaxed fizzy carbonation. Long astringent finish. If memory serves me correctly I was not overly impressed by the earlier beers in the series but this is full on mug of black coffee of a stout. Slips down.

7.4

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle from The Tasting Barn, nr Wokingham. Aroma is tart blackcurrant yoghurt. Waxy purple. Purple tinged foamy head. Medium-heavy sour. As per the aroma we have tart blackcurrant juice and skins. There's a light grainy almost metallic edge. Light-medium bodied. Slick. A tad creamy. Flat carbonation. Long dry astringent finish. Enjoyably tart yet smooth.

6.8

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle from Hive, Crowthorne. Aroma combines apple and rhubarb for sweet funk. Hazy dirty gold. Fizzy white head reduces to a thin band of bubbles. Medium sour. Although it's billed as an 'Apple Sour' the rhubarb is more prominent, with distinctive sourness followed by sweetness. The Apple contributes sour acidity throughout but it more peripheral. Does bring to mind a apple and rhubarb crumble and even has vanilla which may be my imagination. Light-medium bodied. Slick. Lazy fizzy carbonation. Dry astringent finish. Another Dolphin beer that is enjoyable but too relaxed to really blow me away. A beer to chill with on a hot summer night.

6.6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle bought at The Hive, Crowthorne. Aroma is led by the elderflower with a slightly funky edge. Hazy murky light amber brown. Thin foamy white head. The distinct sweet but not quite sweet flavour of elderflower is in throughout. Light-medium sour edge - vinous - or in fact tannic borrowing from the beer's description. Light bodied. Thin. Soft-fizzy carbonation. Long dry slightly astringent finish. Enjoyable but it could be one of those non-alcoholic soft drinks for adults... like Schlurr or whatever it's called.

7.2

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle ordered from A Hoppy Place, Windsor. Aroma is red wine-esque, albeit with a sweet grape jam element. Hazy ruby red. Thin pink tinged creamy white head. Sour but runs through with juicy red grape. Not particularly vinous, unlike the aroma. Tart. Light-medium bodied. Thin but slick. Fizzy carbonation. Long dry astringent finish. Pleasent stuff - sour without causing puckering. A perfect beer for a summer evening.