Name: Schuylkill Sour
Brewer: Palm Tree Abbey (Philippines)
Style: Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer (Base Style: American Pale Ale)
ABV: 5%
Review Year: 2021
The Schuylkill (pronounced skoo-kill) Sour is a tribute to the city the brewers of Palm Tree Abbey love. This sour beer features Lallemand’s new Philly Sour yeast strain and citrus-forward hops.
STYLE GUIDELINES
This beer is being evaluated as a Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer (26B) with the American Pale Ale (18B) as the base style in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.
TASTING NOTES
Slightly hazy pale gold; initial thin white head but flats out after. Orange citrus as first aroma impression; moderate notes of peach and lychee closer. Light-medium body, medium-low carbonation; orange juice-like mouthfeel. Very approachable sourness up front, complemented by the tartness of orange citrus with some lychee. Soft bready backbone; low sweetness. Finished somewhat dry and left the palate fairly sticky with familiar lychee and bready notes that lingered momentarily.
THE VERDICT
Schuylkill Sour presented itself as a very approachable and refreshing sour ale– a “sessionable sour beer” if there’s even such a thing. The base style of a mixed-fermentation sour beer is noted to be less relevant due to the various yeast and bacteria (e.g., lactobacillus) that tend to dominate the profile. The citrus tartness accentuated the sourness without letting the beer be overly acidic and puckering. It’s quite drinkable and could be an everyday sour beer or something to enjoy after a long workout. However, we think the next versions could have a bit more carbonation.
Related Review:
Palm Tree Abbey “Sour Daddy”
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