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player ready...What it is:
A sour beer that is more than just a “sour beer.” Tart Lychee is a brain-twisting combination of 56 percent sour ale aged in oak barrels and 44 percent ale brewed with lychee litchi — a sweet Asian fruit that is popular with chefs in recent years — and cinnamon sticks. It’s also a relatively robust 7.5 percent alcohol. This is a member of New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series of experimental beers, which means it’s a limited release. Tart Lychee should be around until July.
In the bottle:
This hazy, dark golden brew rises up tart in the nose, followed by a little ripe fruit and some cinnamon heat. But Tart Lychee is surprisingly balanced. It indeed begins sour, but then segues into an oaky-fruity finish capped off by a little welcome earthy funk. More weighty than crisp, this beer has a body that’s thicker and more complex than many sour beers. Let it warm up a bit, and the complexity comes out even further. Its moderate sourness and intricate balance make it a worthy sour beer for nonsour drinkers.
Drink it with:
A succulent lighter meat, like pork — especially a not-too-saucy pulled pork sandwich.
Where to buy:
New Belgium gets wide distribution, so 22-ounce bottles are available at many finer liquor stores.