Ballast Point Hout (Black Currant)

A turbid dark lambic with reddish hues, thin off white head. A nice light horseblanket aroma, a bit of dark fruits. In mouth, more sweetness than in the cherry hout, veering on grape juice, light lactic notes, yogourt sourness. On tap at Ballast Point 13 Anniv. Beer Festival , Oct. 24 2009.

On tap, LA Beerfest. Very cool of BP to bring this limited offering, explained briefly to me as a Gueze-interpretation that is a brewery-only offering. The color of this beer is downright strange: incredibly cloudy – murky even – mud-brown with no head. They gotta do something about this if a release is imminent! Lol. Nose is a wonderful blend of berries, acetic acid, lemon zest, and tart cherries. Initial flavor reminds me of a berry-infused Flanders Red, in the sense that the vinegar acidity is upfront, the fruit essence firmly present, and the body clean and fairly light. I found myself liking this beer a lot . . . until the finish. The finish contained a weird, twisted astringency that was part-paint thinner, part dirt. It certainly was distracting, and unfortunately, tempered an otherwise nice drinking sour. I would try this one again though.

Ballast 13th anny, this was my fav of all the 3 "hout" sours that were on draft. Super currant flavors, some dusty coco, sourness was solid. More grip and complexity than the other 2. Not that traditional for a sour I guess. Weird murky color but the flavors were outstanding. Ballast knows their sours, but damn these are rare.

On tap at Belgian Beer fest 2009. Red color. Sour. Tart. Dry. Good, but low in flavor.

On tap at Pizza Port Belgian Beer Fest. Pours burgundy with a light pinkish purple head. Nose is sweet and mildly tart with a load of dark berries. Taste is more sweet than sour, I’d prefer it the other way around. Sourness is there but smooth and mild. This stuff really just tastes like sour berries, currants obviously, and sugar. Finishes surprising with a wine like dryness. Light to medium bodied with alot of prickly carbonation.

1st rating, tap @ Belgian Fest 2009. Porus reddish with a pink head. Nose is sweet with almost a beet quality, taste is sweet and fruity and tart, overall tasty but the fruit is overall a bit overwhelming.