Tempest: Drop Kick (Scotland: Low Alcohol: 0.5% ABV)
Visual: Pale yellow. Thin white head. Some small bubbled carbonation.
Nose: Sour. Musty. Pineapple. Passion-fruit. Flour. Tart.
Body: Tart. Soft pineapple and tart passion-fruit. Mild grapefruit. Slight chalk. Coconut. White bread.
Finish: Grapefruit. Slight chalk and flour. Passion-fruit. Coconut. Slight clean lager notes.
Conclusion: So, considering Dropkick Me Jesus was ok but not exceptional, it is interesting to find out that here in its low abv version it seems to have really found its place in the beer world. It is not quite as complex as the full abv version, but the nigh absent alcohol combines with the tart, easy drinking but hoppy character is a match made in heaven.
The tart notes area simple mix of grapefruit, passion-fruit and pineapple. It really catches that unusual passion-fruit flavor and feel amongst the tartness – resulting in a slightly musky, fluffy mouthfeel with the light acidity keeping it easy to drink. The general gist is a light tart character with a slight flour thickness of character giving a more beer like grip.
What is nice is that, despite the sour notes, the fruity elements feel distinctly like a hop character, making it feel much more beer like, rather than just being a spritzy kind of thing. I’d highly recommend it as a low abv choice – it is one of those rare beers that feel better for the lower abv. It makes it that bit easier going so becomes the super drinkable thing it was always meant to be. Good flavor and no worries. Even better late on some recognisable coconut notes come out, aping the original and giving gentle grounding.
One of the better low abv sour beers to have come out, which is a surprisingly hard fought category these days, and a good low abv beer in general. Very impressive.
Background: More low alcohol beer, and I was surprised to find out this exists – a low alcohol version of the sour IPA Dropkick Me Jesus. I generally enjoyed that one, even if it wasn’t perfect, so seeing this at Beercraft made it one to grab and try. Beercraft can be a tad expensive but their low abv selection is spot on. Not much else to add, too hot at the moment. I put on Louis Distras’ Street Revolution Ep while drinking – I need upbeat political protest tunes at the mo.
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