Beer of the Weekend #860: Changeling Dark Sour Ale
Our family friend from Kansas City asked me if there is any beer I don’t like. Sour beer, I told her.
Inevitably, she bought me a big bottle of sour beer: Changeling Dark Sour Ale, brewed by the Boulevard Brewing Company of Kansas City, Missouri.
The color is deep, ruby brown. A finger of tight, light tan, buttery head leaves an even skim and a ring around the edge.
The aroma portends sourness and funk. It is very yeasty; the Brettanomyces and lactobacillus are prominent and tickle the nose hairs. Tannin and leather are prominent as well, and vinegar is also noticeable. It reminds me of some kind of wine or liquor from my past, but I can’t put my finger on it. It has a toasted character and there are faint notes of caramel, but the tannin and leather keep them in the background. It smells like the wine and whiskey barrels it was aged in.
The flavor is a mouthful of sour and tannin. Ewww! This is not my cup of tea. I now know what it reminds me of: a bottle of very, very old sparkling cider that I drank way back in the day. Blah! It’s Bretty, funky, tart. There are fleeting hints of dark fruit, but they are so brief that I can’t pin them down; the label mentions plums, though. It is dry and has a vinegar tinge, too. This may not be bad beer, but it is on the cusp of offensive and undrinkable for me; I am not a fan of sour beer. I’m gonna have to hold my nose and force myself to drink it. Yuck!
Fun facts about Changeling Dark Sour Ale:
• Style: Boulevard calls it “wood-aged sour ale,” while it is categorized on BA as American wild ale.
• Price: Being a nice guy who is unable to tell people “no.”
• Alcohol content: 7.3 percent ABV.
• IBU: 20.
• Color: 42 EBC.
The Quiet Man’s grade: D*.
Inevitably, she bought me a big bottle of sour beer: Changeling Dark Sour Ale, brewed by the Boulevard Brewing Company of Kansas City, Missouri.
The color is deep, ruby brown. A finger of tight, light tan, buttery head leaves an even skim and a ring around the edge.
The aroma portends sourness and funk. It is very yeasty; the Brettanomyces and lactobacillus are prominent and tickle the nose hairs. Tannin and leather are prominent as well, and vinegar is also noticeable. It reminds me of some kind of wine or liquor from my past, but I can’t put my finger on it. It has a toasted character and there are faint notes of caramel, but the tannin and leather keep them in the background. It smells like the wine and whiskey barrels it was aged in.
The flavor is a mouthful of sour and tannin. Ewww! This is not my cup of tea. I now know what it reminds me of: a bottle of very, very old sparkling cider that I drank way back in the day. Blah! It’s Bretty, funky, tart. There are fleeting hints of dark fruit, but they are so brief that I can’t pin them down; the label mentions plums, though. It is dry and has a vinegar tinge, too. This may not be bad beer, but it is on the cusp of offensive and undrinkable for me; I am not a fan of sour beer. I’m gonna have to hold my nose and force myself to drink it. Yuck!
Fun facts about Changeling Dark Sour Ale:
• Style: Boulevard calls it “wood-aged sour ale,” while it is categorized on BA as American wild ale.
• Price: Being a nice guy who is unable to tell people “no.”
• Alcohol content: 7.3 percent ABV.
• IBU: 20.
• Color: 42 EBC.
The Quiet Man’s grade: D*.
