Review: Driftwood Mad Bruin Sour Brown Ale

Review: Driftwood Mad Bruin Sour Brown Ale, a photo by Cody La Bière on Flickr.

Sour beers aren't common in Manitoba, but in British Columbia, they're more common. People like Lynn absolutely rave about sours, many others detest it completely, like Stephen. For me, I've never really had a sour beer either than sour cherry beers.. and that's about it, but now.. here I try Driftwood Brewing's Mad Bruin Sour Brown Ale!

Appearance: So Mad Bruin pours a brownish-mahogany red with a bit of caramelly hue to it, very hazy and unable to see throught this beer. It's a bit foamy, giving off a decent amount of cookie dough beigey head.

Aroma: A bit of a sweet yet sour Cabernet Sauvignon aroma to it, yet not as overpowering, sweet, obviously sour, some dark fruits in there. It has similar aromas compared to those sour cherry beers you can get out of Belgium. Slight caramel maltiness but overall it's hard to describe.

Taste: They don't call it a sour for no reason, certainly a sour beer, and it's making my cheeks cringe, but it's not bad at all. It's a sour fruity beer, I notice some figs, caramel malt, somehow the grains are coming out quite well in the flavour, incredibly tart yet decent amount of sweetness going on in this beer. Slightly nutty in front of tongue, but mostly - it's a sour beer. As the flavour diminishes, a slight gentle taste of vanilla tingles the palate right before the flavour goes down completely. A sour and metallic aftertaste.

Overall Thoughts: There's a reason why there is a type of beer called the sour, as it is, in fact, a sour beer. Incredibly tart like many fruit beers out there like Unibroue Cassis and various cherry based beers out of Belgium, it also has a decent amount of sweetness that makes this a great beer for a dessert worthy treat. Sour beers aren't for everyone, if you like sour candy and regularly enjoy good wines, you will likely like this, but if you like a more of a brown ale with a sweetness to it and no sourness, this won't be up your alley as this is a sour for a reason. I really enjoyed it, and would drink it again as a dessert beer. It has 7% ABV, so it's not going to knock you out, but if you're not someone who enjoys lots of sour flavours, I'd recommend sharing this with a friend or two!

driftwoodbeer.com/