Named for Enyo*, a goddess of war, this is a beer that will make some people angry and some people happy. Which I suppose a goddess of war is wont to do.
The reason it could make some people angry is that head brewer Jake Harrison took inspiration from a historical Belgian beer tradition – red ale soured on cherries and aged on French oak – then plopped in some lactose for extra sweetness and body. The purists will be pulling their hair out.
Jake admits even he was conflicted about it at first, but I for one am glad he went with it. If we can’t throw tradition out the window occasionally, where’s the fun in that?
The result is a mingling of traditional and novelty. The deep rusty red beer offers up marzipan and Doctor Pepper character on the nose, but as it enters the mouth there’s a blend of berry flavours, sweetness and acidity: a smooth cherry tartness, a berry Fruit Tingle flavour with a touch of vanilla from the oak, and a lick of acid at the end of each sip. The lactose rounds out the flavours, smoothing any gaps between specialty malts and cherries and sharp acidity until they’re virtually seamless, and provides an almost creamy mouthfeel on the finish.
You can watch this video to hear Jake explain more about his mashup between Belgian cherry red sour ale and milkshake sour. And then he signs off with "adios", so I don’t know what to make of that. Apparently Jake is just a big ol’ chaos goblin.
Mick Wüst
*Not to be confused with Enya. Although she also makes some people angry and some people happy.
Published February 27, 2023 2023-02-27 00:00:00
