ABV: 6.6% | IBU: 16

In the shadow of the mountains of western North Carolina lies a beautiful, eclectic city called Asheville. While it’s known for many things, one of the greatest is its big and burgeoning beer scene. With dozens of quality craft brewers in the area, it takes something bold and unique to really stand out among such strong competition. Fortunately, we have just the thing in our review today of Wicked Weed Brewing’s Black Angel, a black sour ale aged in bourbon barrels on “obscene amounts of tart cherries” (it says so right on the bottle). Wicked Weed Brewing specializes in uniquely sour beers (among a slew of hoppy beers and Belgian styles), and Black Angel is perhaps one of their greatest creations.

After brewing in a big batch of cherries, the resulting concoction rests in the finest bourbon barrels from nearby Kentucky. Over a period of 5 months to a year, that which becomes the Black Angel emerges from the darkness to grace our senses.

This sour ale is, as the name implies, black in color with a tinge of deep crimson where light passes through it. She pours smooth, and what little foam there is dissolves into a tan halo which stands in contrast to the dark body of the liquid. The tartness of the cherries and slight bourbon sweetness wafts over the surface of the beer. The texture is crisp and clean to the palate and doesn’t linger too long. Black Angel conveys the sour essence of her dark fruit soul in her bold flavor.

As for where to get it, if you’re not in Asheville, you might end up spending some effort looking for it. Since I learned of its existence several months ago, I’ve looked all over the area for a place that stocks it. I only recently found it at a local bottle shop. So, really, the only bad thing about this beer is that it’s so good you might have a hard time finding it. But if you use Wicked Weed’s beer finder and apply some patience, I’m sure you’ll be enjoying the Black Angel in no time.

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