Appearance

The Belching Beaver Sour Series Batch No. 5 has a deep blue wax cap, a dark brown bottle and ‘Sour Series Batch No. 5’ screen printed on the front in yellow font. The beer is very effervescent as it pours, settling with a medium thick, fluffy, white head.

Aroma

The aroma is sweet and has a distinct lambic quality, with notes of wild yeast. Underneath that is some undefined fruit, along with a general chlorophyll.

Flavor

The first few sips produce a complex sour note up front, giving way to sweetness. As the sweetness fades there is dryness, with subtle fruit notes that fade quickly. Later, as the beer warms, I get a cereal flavor reminiscent of baked barley or oats.

Balance

I would describe the overall balance as very good. The sweet, sour, yeast and dry components are brilliantly in sync.

Finish

The beer finishes complex with a rich sour flavor that gives way to a medium length yeasty funkiness. That funk increases to medium-long as the beer warms up, and increases in intensity as well. There is also some oaky character, along with a toasted barley that lingers quite long.

Overall

When you end up paying for a premium oak aged beer blind, there’s always some trepidation as to what the final experience is going to be. In this case, I can confidently say the Belching Beaver Sour Series Batch No. 5 is one of the best sours I’ve had in recent memory. Although it does carry a premium price tag, I’m happy to have picked this one up as the experience was well worth it.

John McTavish

SCORE

7.92

Cost/Point

$1.89

Scoring System

Personal Beer Review: Belching Beaver Sour Series Batch No. 5