Almanac Dogpatch Sour
I’ve been pretty darn impressed with the batch of Almanac Beers that I have purchased thus far in 2017. Just about everything so far has been outstanding and have given me plenty of reason to purchase more of their products now that they are shipping regularly to Virginia. Dogpatch Sour is the brewery’s third beer I cracked open back in late April. Based on a Flanders-style red, the 7.5% ABV ale is brewed with California Rainier cherries and a house blend of wild yeasts, bacteria and SF sourdough yeast — all before it is aged in wine barrels for a good long while.
The end result is a beer that is assertively tart and sour with a strong vinous flavor profile with a smattering of old wood, soft funk and earthy cherries. Dogpatch Sour is a lively brew that swells almost immediately to a peak of sour tartness before fading excrutiatingly slowly through those cherries, grain and the solid barrel influence. The beer ultimately ends in a long lasting finish with a drying quality and echoing tingle of tartness.
This is one of those beers that, upon opening, I sort of wish I hadn’t. It’s sour and lively and just damn tasty, but is also a beer that could have gone for a good long while in a dark cellar. As just the third beer from Almanac that I have enjoyed so far, it’s an outstanding example of the quality and reputation that has preceded the company’s arrival in Virginia. I will be buying more of this one as soon as I spy it on shelves.