Tarted up

The summer of sour and fruited beers continues with today's pair from Bullhouse Brew Co.

The first, Slurp, is described as "passionfruit sour" on the can, and is depicted accurately as an opaque orange liquid. The label helpfully tells us that it's kettle soured and has passionfruit as an add-on, though fails to mention it on the list of ingredients. At 4% ABV, it's meant for quick drinking, and I was thirsty, so drained about half the glass on the first pull. That revealed it to be a light and gently sour beer, exactly the thirst-quencher I was in need of. Both the tropical fruit and the tartness are well represented, but neither is overdone. There's a hint of sorbet on a somewhat dry grain base, and a stronger aroma of tinned tropical fruit. This beer performs its designated task of summer refresher very nicely. I have no suggestions for improving it.

Budgie Smuggler is one of those cringey beer names of the sort used to satirise modern beer branding in general. This is another kettle-soured job, though a pale ale with only (unspecified) hops adding any element of fruit. Hazy orange, once again, is the colour, and the ABV is 4.5%. There's quite a strong, curdled, sourness in the aroma but strangely it's not sour to taste. Here, there's no more than a tang of mildly tart orange juice, set on a light base. It's a little saline; a little sweaty, and is missing the bitterness which I think would help give it extra punch in the absence of any significant sourness. The promise of fresh and tangy citrus hops isn't really delivered. Like the previous beer, this seems to have been designed primarily for refreshment, but doesn't go about providing it in as interesting a way.

Kettle souring gets a bit of a bad rap, as a cheap shortcut as against proper mixed fermentation. I think there's a place for it, however. I'm all in favour of anything that makes easy-drinking fruit beers more accessible. I'd be happy to see more like Slurp in these parts.