Bullfrog Liquid Sunshine Reserva

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

A steady pour into my 25cl tulip glass produces a three finger thick, pale tan colored head that is medium to large bubbled. The beer is a murky amber color that shows an amber tinged, full gold color when held up to the light. The aroma smells of lactic acid and oak notes predominantly. There is a backdrop of mustiness here as well that smells lightly of musky Brettanomyces funk. The lactic notes are actual quite mellow in the aroma and it really is the oak that is the dominant character in the nose; fairly spicy (peppery, a touch phenolic in the oak character with a nice sharpness), with a toasted woodiness as well as a touch of buttery oak character. There is a faint fruitiness here that always plays a supporting role, but can contribute notes of lime, green apple, tart pear and a not quite ripe melon. The aroma is nice, but somehow seem to be lacking a depth and complexity to make it really interesting.

The flavor has a nice tartness to it up front that isn’t really bracing, but definitely noticeable. The oak character is apparent from the get go, but gets a bit more noticeable towards the finish where it supplies a bit of astringency and tannic palate presence. A prickly carbonation couples with the medium-light body, both work pretty well together actually. While the acidity is mostly lactic there does seem to be a touch of acetic acidity here that provides a touch of artificial fruitiness (white wine vinegar sort of flavors, perhaps even a bit of oaky Chardonnay), an artificial sweetness, some textural slickness along with a bite towards the finish. The oak provides quite a bit of spiciness and even a sort of boozy warmth that isn’t actually alcohol.

In some ways this beer is quite bland for a “Wild” ale; if it didn’t have a touch of acetic acid character it would be downright boring. This is certainly not bad, and is in fact quite serviceable, but it really seems to be lacking in the complexity department; the oak and acidity seem to dominate and much of the base beer is lost and there isn’t enough other funky notes to make up for the loss. If sour beers really explode I could see this beer being just as a bland example of the style (sort of the everyman’s Temptation), as it is these are still rare enough that I think a lot of people will really enjoy this as it is perfectly quaffable and nice.