Thank you, Champion Brewing Company of Charlottesville, Virginia. I just tried your Tart Sour Ale and very much enjoyed it. Tart, of course, is a Berliner Weisse style beer, plain and simple. While Berliner Weisse is very popular these days, most breweries adulterate it with fruit or make it over-strength.

Champion Tart, however, is appropriate to the style at just 3% alcohol by volume. This means you can enjoy this quenching, refreshing brew (and enjoy a few of them) without too much ill effect. For me, low strength Berliner Weisse is the perfect beach beer. It has 4 IBUs too, in case you were wondering. It runs $11.99 a six-pack in cans in Virginia.

From the label:

A traditional sour wheat ale inspired by the German original. Made with Weyerman malted wheat and 2-row malted barley, this beer is refreshing and quaffable with crisp acidity.

Champion Tart Sour Ale pours to a pale-yellow color with a thin wispy head of foam and a very sour nose. Taking a sip, the beer is tart wheaty up front followed by an appetizing dryness and a sour acidic finish. I love that this is 3%, but it’s just a tad shy of puckering and the tarty tart tartness I want in the style. It has a tart tartness, but not a tarty tart tartness. I know. I’m so hard to please.

Still, it’s sour and dry and refreshing and I would drink lots of this were it sold in Georgia.  

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft