Flying Fish Puckerfish

Brewed by Flying Fish Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Cherry Hill, New Jersey USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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(Draught) Pours an amber body with a small white head. Aroma of caramel, cherry, passion fruit, citrus, and strawberries. Flavor of sour fruit, vinegar, and caramel with a dry oak finish.

Sampled GABF 2008
This beer has a full amber color to it and is fairly hazy. It is topped by a thin, light tan colored head. There seems to be lots of Bourbon-like aromatics in the aroma with notes of vanillin, a big coconut component, hot alcohol and lots of solvent-like notes. The solvent character actually seems a bit sweet some how at times and it mixes with and / or causes a fruitiness that seems to lurk underneath the other aromatic components.

The beer is sweet tasting up front, but it finishes with a massive solvent character that is a mix of acetone and paint thinner. There is some acetic-acid sourness to this beer up front that is quite nice and becomes more noticeable as my palate gets used to the aggressive solvent character (unfortunately the solvent notes never disappear though). The solvent does bring out some Bourbon like notes in the flavor as well. This is just weird. Did this beer ever come near a barrel, much less a Bourbon barrel? I can’t actually tell in the end as these notes might just be a phantom of the aggressive solvent character. This is actually so interesting that it even makes it enjoyable and somewhat contemplative. Can’t say I would want this particular batch again, but it was certainly a fun thing to try.

draft. Ouch. Aroma smells like rubbing alcohol. Am I going to go blind drinking this? Cloudy amber color. Smells like floor cleaner. I love sours, but this aroma is tough to get used to. Possibly needs more time in the barrel or needs some blending. Mild sour flavor. OK.

GABF 2008. A super sour aroma with faint fruits and oak. Less tartness on the body and somewhat sweat.

G.A.B.F. 2008: Pours a headless brown/deep golden. Very fruity nose- fig, passion fruit, booze, toasted oak chips and mild vanilla. Slick feel. Flavor is sweet and mildly tart. Underlying plummy malt sweetness, a bit rummy, with a hint of citrus. Very simple example.

Kennett Square Brewfest ’08. No notes, but I really enjoyed this. I’m no expert on sours, but the core character was apparent and the sour taste really flashed in at the end. Every beer I had at KSBF smelled kind of like a stogie, so it’s hard to gauge accurately.

On tap at the KSBF ’08. The pourer said, are you sure you want this, it is a sour? Poured a medium and hazy amberish/orange color with a small sized off white head. Aromas of dark fruits (cherries), woody, and vinegar. Tastes of liighter cherries and stronger vinegar.