Wild Ride Brew's Tarty to the Party Watermelon Lime Sour Ale

10 IBU's 5.6% ABV
Beer Advocate - 3.5/5 (2 votes
Untappd - 3.8/5

28B. Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer

American Wild Ales are beers that are introduced to "wild" yeast or bacteria, such as Brettanomyces, Pediococcus, or Lactobacillus. This introduction may occur from oak barrels that have been previously inoculated, pitching into the beer, or gained from various "sour mash" techniques. Regardless of the method, these yeast and/or bacteria leave a mark that should be noticeable to strong, and often contribute a sour and/or funky, wild note. Mixed-fermentation examples will display a range of aromatics, rather than a single dominant character.

Purchased at Fred Meyer

I don't know if you've noticed lately but, I have been in a rut. A dark beer rut. A barrel aged dark beer rut. And for good reason, 'cause they're damn tasty...if you like that sort of thing, of which I do. So I appealed to my good friend for an idea for my next beer. Well, he has a thing for sours and this one came highly recommended. It's an odd selection for this time of the year here in Oregon. It's currently rainy and cold, which, by the way, calls for a barrel aged dark beer. But as I reached for the watermelon lime sour ale on the shelf, I was longing for the nice warm 80 degree days of the summer...and I saw it's appeal as a drink in the winter time. Then I walked outside and reality hit me. It was still winter. Oh well, at least I was taking home summer in a bottle.

Okay, on to the scores:

Aroma: Well, it smells like a watermelon jolly rancher with a hint of lime...I guess I expected that.  7

Appearance: The hue of the liquid looks to be like a richer, darker hue of apple juice from the store. Like Tree Top or something.   7

Flavor: The tartness is nice. My taste buds detected the subtle sweet watermelon after the initial blast of sour. It then dives right back to tart on the back end. Not overpoweringly puckalicious but it lets you know it's there.  8

Mouthfeel: Dry and nice level of carbonation. The level of pucker is not overwhelming throughout.  7.5

Overall: Wild Ride did a nice job for the style. I have had sours with off putting smells (vomit like) and makes you pucker just thinking of them. I guess some people like that but not this person. The flavor profile and lightness makes this a perfect beer for the summertime (or when wishing for the summer).  7.5

Matt's mark: 3.7/5