Beer column: Urge spring to arrive with this unique and Moody sour

Most people prefer sours during the spring and summer as a refreshing drink in warmer weather.

That’s certainly not a rule, however, and there’s a reason why some of British Columbia’s big-name sours are available year-round.

And one of those more notable sours is a unique creation from Moody Ales and Co, a popular watering hole along the Port Moody Ale Trail.

One of Moody Ales’ core beers is their Lavender Sour, which comes in with an ABV of 4.8% and zero IBUs, as is typically the case for a tart sour.

The brewery describes this one as “breezy,” with lemon tartness steeped with herbal-sweet floral flavours.

“A garden party of a gruit ale that swaps hoppy notes for a soft bouquet of botanicals and a pucker of exquisite sourness like tart lemon meringue pie laced with herbal-sweet lavender,” notes the Moody website.

“This beer is co-fermented with ale yeast and lactobacillus plantarum for a bright profile with a dry finish.”

If you’re curious about that “gruit” word, it refers to a beer that’s more reliant on herbs and botanicals than hops.

It was a more popular way of brewing before the extensive use of hops, but it is now used more as a colloquial term to describe a blend of herbs, not a specific beer style.

It’s fairly clear why Moody’s Lavender Sour is a perfect example of a gruit beer, and also the reason this plant-inspired creation has no hop bitterness to speak of.

You should be able to find this unique beer at most private and BC Liquor stores across the province, no matter the time of year.

And if you’re ever in the Port Moody area, we recommend checking out Moody Ales and Co and other breweries along the Port Moody Ale Trail in person.

The Lower Mainland city is also home to Yellow Dog Brewing, Twin Sails Brewing, Parkside Brewery, Rewind Beer Co and Brave Brewing Co.

Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.