Place To Imagine Vol. 2 - Cherry Pie by Social Fox Brewing was reviewed as a Wild Specialty Ale from Social Fox Brewing in their Imperial Sour Series being evaluated as such with the considerations of cherries, cinnamon and lactose as ingredients within a base style of "Imperial Sour Ale" (2021 BJCP Guidelines Category 28C).

Malt is the most dominant aspect of the aroma with bread-like notes, but due to the acidic nature of souring bacteria and/or cherries there is a strong lactic twang interlaced with the malt. The fruit presence of cherry is very subtle, perhaps masked by the lactic presence and there is no cinnamon present at all. Rather than featuring fruit or spice, this beer simply smells like it has a light bacterial contamination.  

The appearance is interesting -- burnished copper with red undertones and good clarity. There is a small thin off-white head that vanishes quickly but poor head retention is the expectation for this category of beers.  

The flavor is lackluster as well -- there isn’t a substantial presence of acidity, possibly due to the usage of lactose to provide a balance of sweetness. The cherry component is too subtle to drive this beer, and the cinnamon is buried beneath what comes across as a muddy flavor profile. The fermentation is clean and there is nothing wrong with the beer per se but it lacks anything noteworthy.

Wild Specialty Ale is a broad category and can feature beers that have subtle complexities or can go the opposite route and showcase beers that are over-the-top. This beer was too shy when it needed to be gregarious in its usage of specialty ingredients to pay homage to a tasty slice of cherry pie.