Beer Felons Brewing Champagne Sour Ale

Feeling festive yet? Because it looks like the crew at Felons are, as they've started popping the champagne early. Well, kinda...

This is their take on beer-as-champagne, a feat they've looked to achieve by taking a sour ale (Berliner weisse was once referred to as the Champagne of the North, after all), fermenting it with a champagne yeast, while using hops with wine-like qualities.

And the glitzily-canned Champagne Sour Ale most definitely looks the part courtesy of its clear, white gold colour. Any sourness on the nose is restrained but there's certainly a bit of a puckering tug on the palate. The carbonation might not be as eye-popping as the real bubbles, but the acid-enhanced, fine bead fizz lifts the Nelson Sauvin hops and their gentle, sauv blanc fruitiness, which in turn complements the white grape like finish.

It might not be a like-for-like swap with genuine champers but, at 4.8 percent ABV, you can knock back a few more without worrying about the festivities getting out of hand too early.

James Smith