Photo courtesy of Kannah Creek Brewing Company
Summer is here! It’s time to seek out some new beers that are right for the season. With more daylight hours and warmer temperatures, I look for sessionable options that are delicious, flavorful, and a bit lower in ABV than the typical 7-8% IPAs that normally fill my fridge. And I haven’t had much luck with session IPAs; I find most of them to be on the watery side and often overly hopped. So I’ve had my challenges when searching for high quality session beers. Until now. Kannah Creek Brewing Company from Grand Junction, Colorado, has given me an answer to my struggles with its new series of session sours.
I’m a huge fan of sours, and I’m very pleased to have found Kannah Creek’s new Sour Beer Project. These beers are highly approachable. They aren’t overly sour; they probably won’t make you pucker, but they are tart for sure. I see these beers appealing to those who are new to sours (call them starter-sours, perhaps), as well as to seasoned sour-drinkers who want something to sip on throughout the day/night without getting too buzzed too quickly. And there are four different spectacular options in this series.
The beers:
PEACH SOUR
A session style Belgian blonde ale, kettle soured and infused with peaches.
ABV 4.7% IBU 18
HOP CITRUS ZEST SOUR
A hop forward American session sour ale with citrus zest.
ABV 5% IBU 50
APRICOT SOUR
A session style Belgian blonde ale, kettle soured and infused with apricots.
ABV 4.7% IBU 18
BIERE DU FRAMBOISE – RASPBERRY SOUR
A Flanders inspired reddish-brown, session sour ale with raspberries.
ABV 4.9% IBU 20
I thoroughly enjoyed them all and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone who likes sours. After trying all four, I can say that my favorites were Hop Citrus Zest and the Apricot. The Hop Citrus Zest is unique and very refreshing: think fresh orange, lemon, and lime zest combined into a slightly hoppy sour. Each drink really made my palate come alive! The Apricot is full of fresh fruit flavor. I found it to be more fruity than the peach, and when I drink a fruit beer I really want that fruit to come through. So while I prefer the Apricot, the Peach Sour would be a great choice for those who just want a hint of fruit instead of the full-blown flavor throughout. The Framboise was tasty and easy to drink; it didn’t seem quite as sweet as others I’ve had of this style, which was nice.
These beers are all 5% ABV or less, making this series an ideal choice for summer, especially for those times when you just aren’t ready to call it a night.
Give these awesome sours a try! They’re all available on draft and in 22oz bottles throughout Colorado. Want to know where to find them? The beer locator will show you the way! Cheers!
