So Yesterday was my birthday (I've taken note of each and every one of you who failed to shower me with lavish gifts. You're officially on watch.) And I thought it might be fun to do a special beer for the occasion. I was recently perusing the shelves at Jungle Jim's when I came across this bottle from Uinta. It's a beer brewed to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. I had no idea that they'd been around for that long! Shows what I know I guess. But anyway, the beer is Birthday Suit, a 7.4% ABV sour brown ale. Seems appropriate right? To the beer!
Birthday Suit pours a deep, dark, yet quite clear sort of maroon, purplish red. It's quite a pretty hue. The head on this beer is strange though. It starts as a fizzy finger of off white foam, but it dissipates almost immediately and it bubbles and fizzes like a soft drink as it does. Not a hint of lacing to speak of.
The aromas on this beer are pretty interesting as well. There's a strong musty note right up front. It loses is potency a bit over time though. Underneath the mustiness though is a veritable cornucopia of fruity aromas. Granny Smith apples, lemon, cherry, as well as some plum and raisin. Tart, sour, and fruity but with an underlying subtle sweetness.
The sip begins with a sharp, sour, almost prickly acidity. Birthday Suit is medium to heavy in body. Plenty of fruity flavors of apple, raisin, and lemon are in there as well. A bit of a chocolately sweetness comes out on the finish. This beer is very tart, but the intensity mellows considerably as it opens up.
I wasn't quite sure about this beer when I first started drinking it. It really is quite sour, and on the first few sips that's really all I was tasting. But as the beer warmed and opened up it became a bit more approachable. Don't get me wrong, this is still a pretty challenging beer, but the fruity complexity on both the nose and the flavors are pretty impressive. I don't know if I'll be going back for another bottle of Birthday Suit, but I am glad I tried it.
HD
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