ABV: 7.6%

It’s no secret that 2016 has been quite the year for sour and wild beers; some even argue it is THE style category of the year. You can’t turn your head in a decent bottle shop without spotting a new flavored Gose, Berliner or raspberry sour blend. It is the key for many breweries to stick out in this new wave of names and labels.

To my pleasant surprise, I stumbled across a variant of one of my favorite desserts in Atlanta a couple weeks ago: Skully Barrel No. 40, aka Pineapple Upside-Down Sour, a golden ale aged in rum barrels by Paradox Beer Company of Divide, Colorado. This was actually my first experience with not only the Skully Barrel Series, but also this rather impressive brewery located in PorchDrinking’s home state of Colorado.

Skully Barrel No. 40/Pineapple Upside-Down Sour pours a murky, straw/golden hazy color, similar to pineapple juice with whiffs of tart pineapple acidity coming off the head. The pineapple notes hit the taste buds immediately, blended with a mild boozy flavor from the rum barrels. It’s tart, but not overbearing. As the drink warmed up slightly, the cake flavor began to flourish. The beer has the signature fizz typical of most sour beers, tickling the tip of the tongue somewhat. It’s a fun adventure to go through the 500ml bottle and experience the complexity of this unique beverage.

Paradox Beer Company has developed a signature brand, as every beer they brew is barrel-aged and bottle-conditioned. They list an ethos on their website “… unflinchingly wayward.” If strong, complex beers are what tickles your fancy, try something from one of the many different batches Paradox offers. Their website lists nearly a dozen states where Paradox Beer is available. Georgia is not yet on the list because Paradox Beer just started distribution to the Peach State. Ask your local bottle shop if Paradox Beer Co. is available in your area!

(The featured image of the Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which was modified with Paradox Beer Co. logo, is licensed under Creative Commons and courtesy of Kimberly Vardeman. Attribution in no way reflects endorsement of the above product or this website.)

 

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