O’so Brewing of Plover and Vintage Brewing of Madison have made me rethink how hops and sour can work together. Their recent collaboration Unbridled Tart is untethered by conventional beer styles.
What is it? Unbridled Tart, a collaboration of O’so Brewing and Vintage Brewing Company
Style: This is a beer that doesn’t fit within a single style. Both O’so and Vintage like to use the term “freestyle” brewing to describe beers like this. It’s best described as a tart, hazy IPA. First the India Pale Ale (IPA) emphasizes the bitterness of hops. Brewers in New England have tweaked the style by focusing on citrus hops, then adding oats and wheat to make the beer hazy and cloudy. The tart sourness in Unbridled comes from a kettle-souring process where the grist is allowed to cool in the brew kettle. Then lactobacillus, a bacteria found in foods like yogurt, cheese and sauerkraut, is introduced. After one to two days, the mash becomes sour. Then the brewing process is restarted with enough heat to kill the bacteria, but leave a distinctive acidic tartness. This beer is similar to O’so’s Infectious Groove, only with more hop character.
Background: “It’s the whole juicy hazy thing,” says Vintage Brewmaster Scott Manning. “It takes that sour craze that’s going on and gets it into the IPA category where nearly a quarter of the craft drinkers are,” adds O’so’s Dylan Buttera.
The name Unbridled Tart is a metaphor for what happens when the creative juices of Vintage and O’so meet in the same brew house. “Those guys are a hoot,” says Manning. “We made a field trip out of it by going to Plover to brew. It was like hanging out with friends.” The O’so brewhouse was home base to make the beer; the breweries divvied up the 60 barrels that resulted.
There’s a lot of blending beers and styles going on right now. This beer melds assertive sourness from the lactobacillus with two types of hops: locally grown Skyrocket, which lend light piney, earthy and dusty qualities, and Galaxy hops, known for tropical and citrus bitterness. It also has both oats and wheat in the grist. That leaves the beer looking thick, but it goes down crisp and light thanks to the hops and sour tartness. The beer finishes on the lighter side of IPAs at 5.3 percent ABV. “It sounds like it shouldn’t work. I’ve heard from a lot of brewers that say it shouldn’t, but that’s why we said yes to making it,” says Manning.
Unbridled Tart is a draught-only beer being rolled out in central and southern Wisconsin in June, and throughout the state soon after. It just hit Madison-area taps June 7. You’ll find it locally for $5-$7/glass.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: The tropical citrus hoppiness of an IPA comes in first, followed by earthy, fruity sourness.
- Appearance: More than hazy, this beer is cloudy, with a bright yellow-golden body and a medium, soft and bubbly head with a light tan color.
- Texture: Light- to medium-bodied and bubbly. The tartness and dryness lend crisp sharpness.
- Taste: The hops offer a combination of citrus and grassy bitterness. The sour tartness takes over with lemon and orange. There is also a little bit of grapefruit that lingers into the finish.
- Finish/Aftertaste: Tart sour tropical hints of orange and grapefruit with lasting dryness.
Glassware: A Belgian tulip or an oversized wine glass will show off the bright gold color and allow the melding of hops and sours to dance under the nose.
Pairs well with: Barbeque and entrees with mild to moderate spicy pepper heat. The tangy tartness and juicy tropical hoppiness go nicely with grilled mildly-seasoned meats and their char and smoke. Go easy on the spices so as not to compete with the beer; exploit how it cleanses the palate. However don’t overlook that on its own, it can be a refreshing beer for a warm summer day.
The Verdict: This is a beer that will create some conversation among fans of both sours and IPAs. There’s something for both. I’m one of those drinkers that had the impression that hops and sours don’t work well together. Unbridled Tart surprised me, even grew on me. It smells like an IPA with its tropical hints of lemon, orange and grapefruit, but there’s no mistake this is a sour. It’s a beer with a pucker punch. I’ve had more than my share of sour IPAs and find a common failure is that they try too hard to blend everything and the result is such an intense tartness that the hops seem stale and skunky. O’so and Vintage have convinced me there’s merit in sour/hoppy combinations. Unbridled Tart is as interesting a sour as it is an IPA, and that works for a refreshing summer treat.
