Passionfruit Sour Ale
Breakside Brewery – Portland, OR
ABV: 4.0%
IBUs: ??
I was disappointed this Summer when Kona brewing decided that mainlanders were no longer deserving of their Wailua Wheat. One of my favorite Summer droughts, I missed it’s delicate flavor with just a hint of sour passion fruit. So, I was understandably excited when I found Breakside Brewery’s Passion Fruit Sour Ale. I brought a bottle home with me, and on an unseasonably warm October day, I opened it on my patio.
I was surprised by how little head there was. It poured more like a soda than a beer. It was a hazy yellow in the glass. Very little nose; only a whiff of sourness. A first sip revealed it to be delicious. The sourness tastes more fruity than most brett beers. The brewery describes it as a Berliner Weisse style — maybe a Weisse’s love child with a Beligan Lambic. I found it oddly fizzy in my mouth, again like a soda. This wasn’t a turn-off, just unexpected. There was also just a hint of bitterness in the aftertaste.
Overall, I really liked this beer. Not surprising since it won a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2013.
Geoffrey hails from the U.S., but has lived in Germany, Sweden, India and China. In his many travels he has sought out the best drinks to be found. He's burned his fingers on cups of Madras filter coffee in India, and discovered the effects of Baijiu on body and soul in China. He has tended bar at both a pub and Biergarten in Germany. He is co-author of a forthcoming publication on Udipi Restaurants.