Bridge Road Brewers Blackberry Sour & Strata Hazy

A belief I will die with is that you can’t buy good blackberries. They’re just too soft and too fragile to hold up to any sort of supply chain so if you want blackberries, you’ve got to find a bramble (just make sure it hasn’t been sprayed). Alternatively, you could find a can of Bridge Road Brewers’ Blackberry Sour, which is clearly filled to the brim with with the stuff. Pouring a deep purply with a redish glow that looks a whole like like your hands should once you've been foraging, the berry flavour comes across like it's filled a smoothie. Although it's quite a thick and juicy beer, the gripping sourness and light minerality place a key balancing role and keeps everything else in check.

Speaking of berry juice, Strata Hazy is part of the brewery’s ongoing exploration of all things IPA. That starring hop is joined by Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin but you can tell Strata's doing the heavy lifting thanks to the tremendous amount of strawberry to be found. That's rounded out by honeydew and melon while a touch of dank pine joins in against a malt backdrop that's incredibly slick.

Will Ziebell

Published December 1, 2023 2023-12-01 00:00:00