Along with heat and holidays, summer brings with it an abundance of tropical fresh fruit. These days, such fruit appears with regularity in sours too, with mango and passionfruit two of the most favoured by brewers from the fruit aisle. And that's what you find in this pair from Big Shed, where a bucket load of each is used to embellish the same base beer.
In the case of Mango Sour, the appearance really puts you in the mood as it pours a ripe mango-esque, incredibly opaque bright yellow. Authentic, fresh – and strong – mango aromas come to the party, one in which sourness is restrained, playing well with the juicy nature of the fruit. There is a little sweetness early on and mouthfeel thats on the syrupy side, yet the beer still finishes quite dry.
Its Passionfruit Sour compatriot is similar in some respects yet very different in others. The light yellow drop only has a slight haze, while the fruit works with the sour character to leave a lively sherbet zing on the nose. Again, the sourness is pretty restrained, the carbonation spritzy, and a pleasant sweetness present on the palate from start to finish, making for an easy-drinking refresher in which the passionfruit comes through clean and fresh.
Matt King
Published December 29, 2020 2020-12-29 00:00:00
