When Sunday Road brought out their first Summer Samba last year, I said it was the kind of beer that can sling you into party mode. This year’s Summer Samba is the beer you drink once you’re at the party, starting conversations with strangers.
The appearance alone is more than enough to break the ice. It’s deeper in colour than last year’s watermelon pink; I’d call it neon coral, and it glows as brightly as a leotard worn in an early 90s exercise video. Who could look at that velvet-scrunchie-hue and not comment on it?
Bright fruit bursts into the mouth with the sweetness and tart thwack of raspberries that have started fermenting in the punnet, along with an almost citrusy tang. Then the back of the palate gets a surprise, as blackberry earthiness and dry hop bitterness come together for a bitey finish you don’t often find in a kettle sour.
And, yet, the drink somehow held onto a lightness the whole way through. Give a stranger a taste and you’ll make a new friend. (Or a new enemy who steals your beer.)
Mick Wüst
Published October 20, 2022 2022-10-20 00:00:00
