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
Published November 24, 2022 2022-11-24 00:00:00
