Appearance

The Fernie Dark Horse Sour comes in a tall brown bottle. The bottle cap is grey, with a white background indicating Fernie Brewing Company. On the front of the bottle is a red background indicating Fernie Brewing Company and Dark Horse Sour in blue. The beer pours dark but not overly thick.

Aroma

The aromas from the beer is sourdough, slightly toasted barley, with some fruit that comes through as the beer warms up.

Flavor

There’s sweetness at the front of the palate, fruit in the middle of the profile similar to blackberry, with some toasted barley or oats to finish the sip. The black currant fruit flavor comes through subdued to start, but increases as the beer warms.

Balance

The sour flavor, fruit and sweetness harmonize well. The sweetness is the most intense note, followed by the sour, and the fruit is a distant component.

Finish

The finish is toasted grains with a long consistent finish. That quality takes over the finish completely.

Overall

The Fernie Dark Horse Sour is a decent sour, although it doesn’t break the mold for complexity, but is enjoyable. I found the flavor to hit it’s high point once it warmed up closer to room temperature.

John McTavish

SCORE

6.33

Cost/Point

$0.70

Scoring System

Personal Beer Review: Fernie Dark Horse Sour