Name: Epic Tart 'n Juicy Sour IPA
Style: India Pale Ale/Wild Ale
ABV: 4.5%
IBUs: 50 (per Untappd)
Here's another beer from Epic Brewing and I'll admit I didn't exactly know what this was until I got home. I give to you Tart 'n Juicy Sour IPA, a name that I'm convinced Epic got from watching a Juicy Fruit bubble gum commercial, though Juicy Fruit isn't exactly what one would call tart.
When I first got this beer, I assumed it was sour on account of the supposed lemon/lime slice on the can but apparently this is a kettle soured beer. I'll admit that the idea of a Sour IPA sounds a bit off putting since you never associate those two styles ever, but if Jester King can pull off a Sour Imperial Stout, then I think there's no reason why this couldn't work.
Appearance - Very hazy & cloudy dark orange color with a high amount of visible carbonation. The head is pretty thin for the most part and there's no lacing left behind.
Aroma - Citrus hops and mango sweetness with hints of lemon & lime juice. Despite the overall appearance, I'm getting more of a pale malt aroma out of this as opposed to a caramel malt base but it could just be the overall scent.
Taste - Citrus hops on the front of the palate, but the sourness just dominates the middle of the palate with some strong lemon & lime tartness with just a tiny bit of funk, but even that's hard to pick up on. The back end of the palate is more of that tartness, but I do get a small hint of caramel malts. As for the aftertaste, I'm getting some more lemon tartness that lingers for a couple of moments.
I do enjoy sour beers and everything, but I feel like I'm sucking on a lemon more than I am having an actual wild ale. In short, it's an interesting idea but I can't really say this is going to be amongst my favorite sour beers anytime soon.
Epic Tart 'n Juicy Sour IPA - 6/10
