Beer column: A sour summer mixed pack that will bring back the tastes of childhood

I think it’s safe to say that it’s officially sour season.

The warm weather has arrived, the official start of summer is less than two weeks away and everyone’s looking for a refreshing beer to enjoy outdoors.

There are so many great sours from British Columbian breweries that could fill that void, but this week’s column will focus on an option that gives you some diversity and brings back tastes from your childhood.

It’s the latest rendition of Dead Frog Brewery’s Juice Box, a mixed pack of eight tall cans that features four different types of sours.

Rocket Pop Sour (ABV 5%, IBU 8)

I’ll start with arguably the most exciting sour of the bunch if you have fond memories of racing down the street to catch the ice cream truck. This Rocket Pop Sour is an ode to the popular popsicle, a refreshing combo of blue raspberry, lime and cherry.

Watermelon Warhead Imperial Sour (ABV 9%, IBU 22)

If you’re unfamiliar with Dead Frog’s sour game, the Langley brewery always has one that has an alcohol percentage you’d expect from a double IPA, not a sour. This summer, it’s the Watermelon Warhead Imperial Sour, inspired by warhead candies and watermelon sour candies. It’s powerful, sour and packed full of watermelon and lemon flavours.

Mango Sorbet Sour (ABV 4.5%, IBU 18)

The two sours above are new, but the Mango Sorbet Sour one is the first of two Juice Box alumni that are returning this summer. This one has all the elements of mango sorbet and hits you with a cool blast of the tropical fruit, backed up with a hint of lime.

Blueberry Lemonade Sour (ABV 5%, IBU 10)

The second returnee is a creation that screams summer in the Blueberry Lemonade Sour. The brewery touts this one as a “crisp sour lemonade” that hits you with the big juicy flavours of fresh blueberries and a brisk finish to cap it all off.

Maybe the best part about this week’s feature is that the Juice Box is widely available and easily findable all across BC.

You should be able to track it down in plenty of private stores, as well as almost every BC government stores for a tidy price of $23.49.

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.