Court Avenue Sour Fest

Brewed by Court Avenue Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Des Moines, Iowa USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Sampled at FoBAB 2010 (Chicago, IL). Pours a glowing lightly hazed golden amber hue, small head dies to nothing. Aromas are sour citrusy fruits, melon, wet oak, tasty brett, dry and a touch cheesy. Initial is lighter bodied, a bit watery, with melon and citrus, light lactic acid and vinegar. Decent vinegar, some perfumey abv and harshness. a bit underwhelming, watery, the key flavors are there but need some uplift of intensity. Nail polish remover acetone seems a fault here.. Not up to Court Ave standards. Don’t get much of the malt or toast.

Pours a fairly clear orange with a very small loose head. The aroma is wrought with nail polish remover right up front, I imagine that this is from the spirit barrel this was aged in and it rounds out quite a little bit as it warms giving some light old woodiness and a little bit of barnyard like character. The flavor is nicely rich and tart and displays almost a malty sweetness that harkens back to it’s days as an Oktoberfest beer, finishing with a bit of sour cherry. A bit rough around the edges but not without charm and character, an enjoyable beer.

Sampled at FoBAB 2010. Pours burnt orange with a very minimal head. Aroma is strong of acetone (nail polish remover). Nearly brought tears to my eyes. Some funk and citrus, but mostly nail polish remover. Flavor also is dominated by nail polish remover. Maybe a bit of fruit, but this is just way too much. Pretty disappointing. I’d give it another try because maybe the festival had a bad keg?