Uinta 21st Anniv. Birthday Suit Sour Farmhouse Ale

Details

Brewery: Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City

Style: They call it a Sour Farmhouse (Saison), but an American Wild Ale is a better description

Price: $12 for a 750mL that’s corked and caged.

ABV: 7.5%

Appearance

Nice dirty and bronzy straw color with a larger-than-expected snow-white head that held up pretty well.

Smell

I definitely picked up tartness and lemon and hints of spice, but the “sour saison” olfactory balance tilted towards the “sour.”  Some dark fruits (mainly cherries) and some bready yeast rounded out the nose.

Taste

Taste followed the smell pretty well. I pick up sour green apples, minerals, and acid right off the start.  It’s definitely tart and wild with some strong lemon and salt. More funk than a traditional farmhouse, but less sour than a sour, ya know? Interesting. Spritzy and effervescent with a more refreshing mouthfeel than most sours. My mouth never got tired of the acidity.  As another reviewer wrote…it tastes like a fruity Saison meets a Berlinerweiss.

Overall

At risk of coming off as an uber beer snob, this isn’t a very refined beer, but it’s pretty darn good.  There aren’t many sours I’d have in the middle of a hot day, right in the middle of yard work, but I’d gladly pop one of these (again.)  While, in my opinion, neither a Sour nor a Saison, it’s a great representation of a Wild American Ale that’s sure to please those looking for a different and refreshing exotic beer.

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