617. New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, CO) - Grape Fizz Ale

“Grape Fizz Ale first hits you with a pop of juicy grape candy aroma that will transport you straight to those nostalgic purple sodas from back in the day. Golden limes (aka Calamansi fruit) and golden sour ale provide a light tartness that’s balanced by sweet Concord grape juice for a crisp, crushable, effervescent finish and 5% ABV.”

Also, the can says that it’s colored with fruits and vegetables. This was part of a variety 12-pack that I picked up because I wanted to try something that isn’t an IPA for a change. The first one, out of the can, was too tart; but the second one, poured into a mug, was a little better. It’s still too tart, but maybe it can breathe a little more in a mug. I don’t know. I appreciate what they’re going for, but they don’t quite get there; the expression “sour grapes” is an expression for a reason. I’m not sure there’s a good way to go here. You want something like this to be crushable, but you also need it to lean more toward the sweet than the sour. In order to balance that sweetness, you need to raise the ABV; and if I were going to err in one direction or the other, that would be the way I’d go. A less sour version of this in the 7-8% ABV range would be spectacular.