Odell Piña Agria Sour Pineapple
Odell Brewing – Odell Piña Agria Sour Pineapple – 750 ml poured into a tulip – 6.5% abv.
Product description: Explore the bright tropical aromas of fruit and melon, and transport your taste buds to a sour wonderland. A subtle sweet malt and pineapple backdrop bursts with an exotic sparkling tart finish that is refreshing and invigorating. A paradise for your palate awaits.
From a 750mL corked and caged bottle, this beer is hazy, glowing peach colored with large meringue foam that persists for quite a while especially for a sour beer.
The aroma is nicely complex with American sour blonde characters such as angel food cake, wet Chardonnay barrel, sweet peach and pineapple, and some funky Brett character. As it warms, some earthy tamarind takes over completely. The flavor is pretty dry and a bit too wood focused in the front. The mid-palate brings some high carbonation seltzer water and salt. In the finish, there is a hint of sharp acetic acid/vinegar but it is usurped by lemon-lime citric acid. As it warms, some pineapple yogurt character takes over. My main complaint is there is a bit of a sawdust and wood pulp character that persists perhaps from barrel aging.
Pineapple is quite integrated here and I don’t think I would mention it if sampling this blind. Sour blonde ales, especially ones with Brett and Chardonnay character, may produce some pineapple character in of themselves. So any pineapple juice added to this beer certainly fits right in and doesn’t feel artificial.
Overall, I found this one to be bright and refreshing with a good mix of American sour blonde aromas and flavors. Pineapple is nicely integrated here and gets lost within a complex mix of yellow fruits and white wine barrel. The acidity is quite high and packs a nice blend of citric, lactic, and acetic acids to create a refreshing finale.
