Butternuts Autumn Harvest 2008

Brewed by Butternuts Beer and Ale
Style: Sour Ale
Garrattsville, New York USA

750 ml bottle labeled "Butternut Valley Farm Autumn Harvest 2008." Pours a slightly hazed orange gold with a moderate linen white head that quickly faded away and left very little lace. Very pleasant aroma of sweet potato, brown sugar, maple syrup, nutmeg and cinnamon. I really didn’t pick up any of the sour influence in the aroma, but it is there in the flavor. The sourness plays of well against the sweet potato and is neither overwhelmingly sour or sweet. The same components that are present in the aroma are also in the flavor, plus a bit of mild sourness, which I think brightens the flavor just a bit. Overall, this is something different, especially for this brewer, and enjoyable, and it works well for me.

Growler. This came across to me as a pumpkin ale with sour and acidic notes instead of pie spice notes. While it’s possible this combination could work, it did not here. The pumpkin and squash flavors were insanely sweet and fleshy despite the acidic, sour, fruity notes (which sadly would have probably been very nice on their own). I don’t know what possessed them to put pumpkin and squash in a sour ale, but I hope it’s a lesson to other brewers to never do it again.

This is a limited run beer made with butternut squash, pumpkin (and other vegetables I think), spices, and spontaneously fermented to give it a sour taste. Growler from Bellport Beer & Soda. Pours a clear light brown/orange with hardly any head. Aroma of pumpkin, allspice, sweet potato. Flavor is quite sour initially (tart and acidic) with a vegetably finish (pumpkin, squash). I’m not sure the sour-spice/herb/vegetable fusion was a great idea. The palate was too acidic and the beer was very difficult to drink. Overall, this is quite an odd beer, but it’s nice to see Butternuts experimenting. 6/4/6/3/11 (3.0/5)