Slush Sour Ale - Prairie Artisan Ales Review
Prairie Artisan Ales out of Oklahoma is well known in the beer world for their deep, dark stouts and their wild, tingling sours. But as a company who produces so many types of beers they only have a few year-round staples, one of them being Slush Sour Ale.
But Prairie Artisan isn't starting from nothing. They actually started over a hundred years ago in a bathtub full of illegal booze. This lawless hooch then became Krebs Brewing, which then teamed up with Prairie Artisan to create wild concoctions with the even wilder labels.
Back to Slush, Prairie Artisan Ales’ year-round sour. While experimenting with fruit forward beers, we couldn’t possibly overlook this one. It comes in at a perfect 6.1% ABV and is filled like a fruit salad with strawberry, raspberry, lemon, and lime.
If fruit forward is what we’re looking for, I think we found it. Now, let’s give it a look and try.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--Like the art on its can, I was expecting it to be colorful, but its deep ruby red is even more impressive than I thought it would be. And on top of that hazy red body is a cream-colored head. Wonderful!
On the Nose--You couldn’t possibly mistake this for something it’s not. The tartness immediately gets the mouth watering with the sweet strawberry and sour raspberry mingling quite nicely together. The aroma itself has bite, so we can’t wait to see how this sour ale nips the tongue.
On the Palate--Like the aroma, the raspberry and strawberry dance between tart and sweet, with a lift added by the lemon and lime. I get the lemon a little more than the lime, but they coexist similar to the sweet and sour of the strawberry and raspberry. Slush is dry at the finish and sour as can be, but really refreshing. Light in the body, it has a wild yeast character, great bite on the tongue, and reminds me of a strawberry rhubarb pie or sherbert mixed with lemon-lime soda—a.k.a. It reminds me of summer refreshments from my childhood.
Verdict
Slush by Prairie Artisan Ales is really refreshing, with the strawberry, raspberry, lemon, and lime flavors each coming forth for an acidic, tart punch. It is fun to drink and interesting to ponder how Prairie Artisan got so much flavor in such a little can.
I’m sure some of you are reading this review while standing with the four-pack in front of you, pondering if the price is worth it. Well, if you really enjoy sour beers, I say grab it. If you’re on the fence, maybe save up the cash for a few weeks or have a generous friend buy it for you. If you have the funds and it’s hotter than hell outside, give this Slush a try. It will cool you down and it might remind you of your own fruity childhood summers.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew