Southern Tier Brewing Company has several nice year-round offerings. They also have some seasonal brews. One of their winter seasonal beers is Cherry Crush, a session sour. On the can it states that is an “ale brewed with tart cherries and milk sugar.”
Cherry Crush pours a bright copper color with a thick head that had a tinge of pink hue to it. The head rose to three fingers at its height. The aroma is very elusive. There are some notes of cherry, which isn’t a very fragrant fruit to begin with. There are some subtle cracker notes as well but they are very faint. There isn’t much on the nose at all but it does look inviting.
The first sip lets you know this is a session sour. It isn’t overly sour but it definitely has the note on the back end. The cherry gives it a touch of sweetness up front that is followed by the tart and sour notes on the backend. It is very refreshing and the sour notes at the end invite you for another sip. The mouthfeel is light and finishes dry and crisp. The carbonation is right at what you would expect but seems to be enhanced on the finish because of the drier finish.
The flavor stayed consistent throughout the session with some nice lacing on the glass that any grandmother would be proud to put on a side table.
Overall, this is a good session sour. The sour notes don’t overpower but rather tease your taste buds at the end of each sip inviting you back for one more sip. The cherry notes are even and not overpowering and don’t have an artificial taste at all which is nice. It is a little surprising this is a winter offering because it feels like a summer or early fall beer. I wouldn’t mind kicking back any time of the year with this though. It might not be something I drink a lot of at one time but here and there it is a very enjoyable brew. If you like sour this is worth a try.