BREWER: Brick Brewery, South London
STYLE: Sour
ABV: 3.5%
VESSEL: 330ml tin
TWITTER: @brick_brewery
MOB RATING: 77.5%
JYMI SAY’S…
# I’ve been down the offie bought a drink with no name, It felt good to be out of the game, In the car now, exhaust got a flame, can’t wait to get home and drink that beer with no name… Laaa laaaa la la la lala laaa la la laa la….#
Now before I even get on to the taste, nose, packaging blah blah blah this has to be addressed. It’s not called anything. On one hand that gives this sour mystique that is backed up by the insanely cool packaging, but on the other hand… IT’S NOT CALLED ANYTHING! I was absolutely taken in by the look of this can in the bottle shop and fully expected when turning it around for it to have a little subtly written funky name for her, but no, I was just told what it was, a tamarind and lime leaf sour. I just don’t get it, but hey.
Why don’t you stop babbling on about the name Jymi and crack her open eh?
Don’t tamarind if I do.. (sorry, that felt funnier when I thought of it in bed last night).
Oh wow!! Wow wow… She is different!! She is sour!! She is incredible!! The initial taste is as TART as it comes, it sat me back in my chair, made me shake my head and then made me smile. I instantly went back for another massive gulp to try and work out what on earth had just happened. Sat me back in my chair again, TART again! Once past that it instantly switches to a massive lime hit then fades to a beautiful long citrus finish.
Now, the whole 3.5% thing got me thinking, this could be a fantastic session beer with that lovely citrus after taste. But then I thought, the intensity of the first 3 seconds puts it so so so far away from a sessioner it’s ridiculous. Tough one. I will put to test this coming summer and report back.
I absolutely love this but could fully understand if others didn’t. I guess it depends if you’re a sour head or not at the end of the day.
Great job you crafty Brick Brewery boys.
Jymi’s Rating: 76%
SAMMY SAY’S…
It’s questionable to say whether or not making the packaging for a product indescribably cryptic is genius or indeed if it is in fact disastrous. This is amplified when you’re peddling an unknown brand. And so the case with Tamarind and Lime Leaf Sour is that it is impossible to identify this as an ale without cracking out the magnifying glass. Me personally, I love it, but I’m not going to dwell on it because others will find it irritating – and I can understand why that’s the case.
Pouring from the can shows this offering to be quite a lively beer and a strong head forms with little encouragement, which leads you to believe it will be lively on the palate. Before the drinking though, the nose on Tamarind and Lime Leaf Sour is aromatic, on the citrus side with a strong flowery backdrop. The first sip is, to be fair, a shock that is filled very much with a first flavouring of lime followed closely by the tamarind. So, the flavour does exactly as it says on the tin (shame that hook line was stolen before this beer was launched).
It’s not the liveliness of the bubbles that are the thing with this beer. No, it’s the unusual and incredibly distinctive flavours that are its bag. It will divide the crowd. There’s no doubt about it. Me – I really like it. I like it because it’s different and it’s uniqueness is refreshing, just likes its flavours. And that’s where judging this beer is a little tricky: it can’t be compared to others – it can only be judged by it’s own standards.
Tamarind and Lime Leaf Sour slips down the watering hole very easily indeed. One or two on a hot summer’s day would pass by very quickly and would be very welcome on any occasion during the warmer climes. Once those initial thirst quenching moments had passed though, you would possibly find yourself looking for another ale to keep you company throughout the day.
One thing’s for certain, you’ve got to try this one!
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Sammy’s Rating: 79%
MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 77.5%
MOB review next weekend: STREAMLINE by KETTLESMITH BREWING COMPANY
MUSE ON BOOZE 