Beer of the Week

Over the past six months I have found a love of sour and wild beers. A stand out amongst crowd has been Flat Earth’s Extra Medium. Flat Earth, a St. Paul brewery which has been featured by us before, has done it again with this sour cherry beer.

I first got to try this tasty brew at the Muddy Pig and it has had a place on their taps as well as my heart for the past few months. Muddy Pig has become a frequent hang out for Ryan and I since our move to St. Paul and bringing great beers like Extra Medium is why. This is the description from Flat Earth's website:

This American wild ale was brewed using a blended strain of yeast that created this unique and refreshing beer. Brewed in the summer and allowed to age in an unjacketed tank for a year to fully develop its flavors. Extra Medium has an aroma of tart cherries, lemon and a slight inner city funk. It is refreshingly tart and sour with hints of orange marmalade, whiskey and citrus rind. Extra medium pairs well with salads, pungent cheeses and angel food cake.

The first thing that grabs you is the rich red color of this cloudy beer. The smell is an intoxicating blend of pungent yeast with notes of cherry, cranberry and apple cider vinegar. The carbonation is light which I prefer in sours. The taste is full a bodied sour cherry, with a yeasty vinegar and lemon notes. The sour taste is there but blends nicely with some malty sweetness.

This is an everyman’s kind of sour as opposed to some of the stronger tasting varieties. Wild but still palatable. If you haven’t been able to get into sours or wild beers I strongly suggest this one to help you appreciate the style.

Links of Interest:

Flat Earth Brewery

Muddy Pig