Ska Brewing Pink Vapor Stew Sour Ale

Ska Brewing Pink Vapor Stew Sour Ale. 5.1% ABV. Ska Brewing, Durango, CO.

Pink Vapor Stew? That's the name of a beer? What? Okay, here we go.

Bright crimson, opaque, slim whitish head,

In the nose: Odd. Vegetal? I'm not getting much sour yet, or fruit, or whatever I'm supposed to....just a big "huh." Yeah, Huh.

And now, we drink. Here's the sour, very profound tart on the tongue. Hits quick and dissipates. Light bodied, not much for malt. Lot of sour, and I can't tell what else.

I'm going to read the can now. On top: "Roots-moral panic-recycle-mirrors-beets-recycle-piquant-b-movie-recycle-ready-steady-go." Oh, really, now? More: "MOD Project No. 1: Malt beverage brewed with apples, ginger, carrots & beets. Sour ale. 5.1% ABV." Who the Hell is saying "needs more carrots" in the brewhouse?

Are the beets for color? Are the carrot and apples for...? What? I'm not getting their flavors, neither for ginger. This is confusion. It's tart, sour, and not the least bit fruity. Guess we got to go with vegetal.

Is this designed for sour-heads, who want to steer clear of fruity, don't want a touch of the sweet? And what the hell is Pink Vapor Stew? It's from a Fishbone song? That I've been aware for many years? What?!?

I had no idea they were singing "pink vapor stew."
 I had no idea what they were singing.

Anyway, it's a weird beer, but it's good. If this sounds good to you, go ahead and drink it. Don't let me stop you.

Eastlake Kirby Picker #8: Sour Beet Gose

Eastlake Kirby Picker #8: Sour Beet Gose. Brewed with pickling spices. Bottled Dec. '17. 5.5% BV.

Clear, light crimson coloring, slim, soon-gone head.

In the nose: Now this is funky. Wild yeast aromatics, herbs, vegetables, spices. It doesn't scream "beets!' yet, but I'm sure we'll get there. Very much on the strange side.

In the mouth: intense puckering from the start, sour and a bit sweet at once. Some of the salt is coming through, if not a real beet flavor. Nicely spicy, though. Medium bodied, long-lasting sour, and refreshing. Easy-drinker, for the sour-head. A unique twist on the frequently fruited Gose style. Unless there are other beet versions out there. Maybe there are, but I'm dumb to them.

Stepping up to the plate is Kirby Pucker, our rotation of brews that undergo a second fermentation with lactobacillus.
Every iteration in the series is a unique Eastlake take on postmodern American sour beer. Pucker up! After all, Lake Street Is For Lovers. 

Ballast Point Nitro Red Velvet

Ballast Point Nitro Red Velvet, golden oatmeal stout with beets, chocolate and natural flavors added. 5.5% ABV. Ballast Point Brewing, San Diego, CA.Bright crimson coloring, with a slim, pink head. Definitely an individual look here.

In the nose: Interesting. Sweet, vegetal, fruity. Is it the beets? I'm getting a resemblance of cherry-like cake frosting in this, which must surely be their intention.

In the mouth: Huh. If they meant to make a beer that's like red velvet cake, though I'm not an expert on the stuff, I'd say they came pretty damned close. (I don't eat a lot of cake, sorry Marie Antoinette.) Smooth, light bodied, silky and sweet. Tasty stuff, for sure. But strange. Golden oatmeal stout, they say? Never heard of such a thing. What the heck is it? It doesn't taste much like an oatmeal stout. The beets were added for color, I've been told, not for flavor.

This is an interesting beer, but I'm not sure what to think of it. It's been getting raves, but I don't see it as more than a gimmick. An interesting one, a fun one, but not much more than that.

I feel like an old, buddy-duddy by not getting whipped up into a frenzy about this one. I want my beers to taste like beers, not cake. Ugh.