For the adventurous craft beer enthusiasts of San Francisco, who are always seeking out bold flavors and innovative collaborations, the Other Brother / Alvarado Street Tropic Desert Sour is a brew worth seeking out. This partnership between Seaside’s Other Brother Beer Co. and Monterey’s Alvarado Street Brewery promises a wild ride for your taste buds, delivering a vibrant, fruit-forward experience that embodies the spirit of California craft.
Other Brother / Alvarado Street Tropic Desert Sour: A Review for San Francisco Craft Beer Lovers
San Francisco’s craft beer scene, celebrated for its diversity and pioneering spirit (with breweries like Cellarmaker, Barebottle, and Fort Point pushing boundaries), is no stranger to excellent sour beers. The Tropic Desert Sour from Other Brother and Alvarado Street fits right into this landscape, offering a refreshingly tart and intensely fruity experience.
The Collaboration: Two California Powerhouses
Both Other Brother Beer Co. and Alvarado Street Brewery have established strong reputations in the California craft beer scene. Other Brother is known for its inventive and often experimental brews, while Alvarado Street has garnered widespread acclaim for its hazy IPAs and expressive sours. When these two join forces, you can expect something special, and Tropic Desert lives up to that expectation.
The Style: Fruited Kettle Sour
Tropic Desert is explicitly categorized as a Fruited Kettle Sour. This style emphasizes a quick souring process in the kettle before fermentation, followed by the addition of significant amounts of fruit. This typically results in a clean, tart base that allows the fruit additions to shine truly. Clocking in at 8% ABV, this isn’t a light session sour; it’s a full-bodied, flavorful experience.
Tropic Desert’s Profile: A Burst of California Sunshine
This particular sour is brewed with a vibrant trio of fruits: prickly pear, mango, and lime. This combination immediately suggests a tropical, slightly exotic, and undeniably zesty character.
Visually, expect a hazy, perhaps slightly opaque, and invitingly colorful pour, likely a sunset orange or pinkish hue, reflecting the fruit additions. A moderate, frothy white head should form and dissipate.
On the nose, prepare for an immediate onslaught of bright, ripe tropical fruit aromas. The mango is likely to be prominent, offering a sweet, juicy scent, complemented by the distinctive, somewhat earthy sweetness of prickly pear. The lime adds a sharp, zesty counterpoint, hinting at the tartness to come. You might also catch subtle notes of the underlying kettle sour, a clean lactic acidity.
The palate is where “Tropic Desert” truly delivers. The initial sip hits with a bold, tangy sourness, quickly balanced by the sweet, pulpy fruit flavors. The mango offers a lush, tropical sweetness, while the prickly pear adds a unique depth and subtle earthiness, preventing it from being one-dimensional. The lime comes through with a clear, refreshing tartness that cleanses the palate and brightens the whole profile. Despite its 8% ABV, it drinks surprisingly smoothly, with the robust fruit character effectively masking the alcohol. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with a pleasant effervescence that enhances the refreshing quality. The finish is decisively tart, fruity, and remarkably clean, leaving you eager for the next sip.
For the San Francisco Craft Beer Aficionado:
San Francisco’s beer lovers, with their appreciation for everything from classic IPAs to experimental wild ales, will find “Tropic Desert” a compelling offering:
- For the sour fiends: If you crave a significant pucker factor but also enjoy a full-bodied, fruit-laden experience, this is your beer. It’s not overly aggressive, but certainly delivers on the tartness.
- For the fruit-forward explorers: The blend of prickly pear, mango, and lime is harmonious and well-executed, offering a tropical escape in a can. It’s a testament to how well fruit can integrate into a sour base.
- For those seeking something distinctive: This isn’t just another generic fruited sour. The thoughtful combination of fruits and the clean, kettle-sour base makes it stand out. It’s perfect for a sunny afternoon at Dolores Park or enjoying with friends on a rooftop.
- For food pairings: Its vibrant acidity and fruit notes make it an excellent pairing for lighter, spicy dishes, or even contrasting with creamy desserts.
Potential Considerations:
As with any intensely fruited sour, those who prefer traditional, clean lagers or bitter IPAs might find the fruit and tartness overwhelming. However, for anyone already leaning into the sour style, this is a well-crafted example.
The Other Brother / Alvarado Street Tropic Desert Sour is a fantastic collaborative effort that showcases the expertise of both breweries. It’s a bright, refreshing, and intensely flavorful fruited kettle sour that perfectly captures the essence of a “tropic desert.” For San Francisco’s dynamic and discerning craft beer community, this beer is a must-try – a vibrant taste of California innovation that will transport your senses to sunnier climes.