Black Brewing’s Citrus Bomb is one for the sourheads, with one foot in the ginger beer camp and the other firmly in kettle sour territory. With sweet, pulpy blood orange and fresh ginger added to a mouth-puckering base, this stands out with bright acidity and big fruit flavours.
Ginger is prominent upfront, contrasting nicely with acid and sweet blood orange notes. A touch of spice from ginger hangs on the palate while blood orange and citrus character persist on a light and clean body, leaving nothing but zesty fruit character and ginger-derived heat after each sip. Some sweetness offsets the tang well, and amplifies ripe blood orange, all coming together for what feels like a sour x ginger beer hybrid.
Black have done well here to strike a sweet/sour balance in their Citrus Bomb, at the same time showcasing the typically overbearing character of fresh ginger against blood orange while keeping both in full view.
Jono Outred
NB Two of our WA writers were sent samples and sent in their write-ups a couple of days apart. The second to arrive contained some additional thoughts: "Fresh from the tree, the stained fruit’s segments hold raspberry hints, and there’s a wisp of berry action swirling with the lightly sour, pithy tartness. For the more adventurous, or seasonally adjusted, an ephemeral spice character cues thoughts of gin and rosemary boilermaker pairings, or maybe even a warm mulled version spiked with crushed thyme."
Published May 8, 2023 2023-05-08 00:00:00
