Rise and Shine Breakfast Sour by Gnarly Barley Brewing Co. is being evaluated as a Berliner Weisse (Category 23A) from the 2015 BJCP Style guidelines. 

This beer has aromas of stone wheat crackers with a little fruity perfume. There's a moderate amount of fruitiness possibly attributed to the added fruit, and it becomes very pleasant on the nose. Lactic notes in the aroma develop as the beer sits in the glass, and the intensity of the fruit becomes more prominent.

The color is golden and very hazy with a light texture. The head is white and dissipated quickly, which is very common for the style. Many bubbles are seen from above bringing out more and more aromatics.

The welcoming flavor is strawberry lemonade with citrus notes of limes and lemons with a balanced tartness. Some lactic flavors emerge given the style’s call for 50% wheat malt, which complements the low sourness nicely. Digging deeper there’s a doughy/bready characteristic, making this beer slightly pastry/tart like. No off flavors or bitterness detected as required.

Light in body, with very high carbonation. It is a little puckery due to the perceived acidity, but without alcohol warmth given the lower ABV.

A very drinkable beer for sure. One that is hard to put down on a hot day, it is both fun to drink, very flavorful and refreshing, exactly what a hot day calls for. A slight oak character develops the more you sip it, particularly in the aroma -- giving this beer more complexity. After the tasting notes were finished; the big reveal demonstrated that this beer was brewed with a local restaurant’s strawberry pop-tarts. Hats off to the ingenuity of this recipe and how it produced a brew to savor, one not to be missed.