04 Feb B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit

B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit

B52 Brewing Company

Conroe, TX
Fruited Farmhouse Sour Ale
ABV: 5.7%
IBUs: ?
Packaging: Draft, 4 pack 16 ounce cans, delivered by Hop Drop

I have a love hate relationship with saisons, most Belgian beers, or really any beers that are known for their spicy/fruity yeast esters, but the Farmhouse Ale (AKA Saison) is a really broad style with a ton of variations, so I always go in open minded. I just had a jalapeño honey Saison at Southern Yankee on Wednesday, and while they’re not my go to, I was pleased. Going in open minded is the key for me, though!

Anyhow, Farmhouse Ale is an American name for the historically French/Belgian style, Saison. It means season in French, and it was usually a beer drank during the spring and summer months after fermenting and being cellared during the winter months.

Between the smoothie, the passion fruit, and the more passion fruit, history pretty much went out the window with this B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit.

The possibilities are pretty wide open for this style of beer, so it allows for a ton of creativity from the brewer perspective as well as a diverse drinking experience from one to the next.

What makes B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit a smoothie, though? It’s not really milk, and it’s not blended up or topped with whipped cream. The smoothie part of the name implies that milk sugar, or lactose, is used in the brewing process. Saisons can be pretty sour, and adding some fruit to the mix can help balance that tartness. Meanwhile the lactose adds a smoothness that cuts the acidity a bit.

The end result is a really approachable, fruity, sour beer that can be appealing to plenty of people that don’t really like beer. One of my favorite beers of all time from B52 was one of these smoothie tarts with peaches, mango, and rainbow sour belts.

Weird AF? Yup. But deliciously refreshing. Cracking into this B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit has me anxious with anticipation, but there are big shoes to fill. In addition to being hit or miss for the style, I’m also hit or miss on anything passionfruit. Many passionfruit beers (juice, candy, and other sweets) are overwhelmingly sweet to me.

The B52 Smoothie Tart cans are usually pretty minimal. They sport a speckled background that’s similar to the ant race or snow storm from my old bunny-ear TV when I couldn’t get a signal. The color corresponds with whatever the fruit is.

B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit pours a pretty hazy golden-yellow color with a chalk-white head that’s almost as effervescent as a can of Sprite. The bubbles fizz up and melt down audibly, and they don’t leave a single trace of head or lacing.

Before the bubbles could completely settle, I stuck my honker in for the first whiff, and the bubbles tickled my goatee for a second. Sharp, bright notes of passionfruit pop up from glass and remind me of a Mexican paleta I used to get from the taqueria. The subtle barn-like mustiness helps reinforce the memory.

That barnyard aroma is one of the reasons I’m hit or miss on this style. When it’s prevalent, I’m immediately turned off. I guess I’m just not interested in drinking a pint of barnyard. Weird. But some folks are. B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit is far short of that, and I’m grateful.

A few tart sips into B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit, and my palette has adjusted. Just one sip is never enough, especially with these tart beers. Once fully digging in, I’m welcomed by more tart passionfruit, a mild sweetness that keeps the sour in check, and a drying finish that has me yearning for the next sip in between sentences.

It’s not staggeringly complex like some Saisons, with layers of funk, spice, fruity esters, and so on. It’s pretty straight forward, and I think that’s where the double passion fruit in the name comes from. Boom. Tart. Passion fruit. Repeat.

The last passion fruit beer I had and really enjoyed was SpindleTap’s Jugo Passion Fruit. I didn’t expect to like that one as much as I did, and I feel the same way about this B52 Smoothie Tart Double Passion Fruit.

Lucky for all of us B52 started doing weekly can releases. Even more lucky for all of us, we don’t have to drive to Conroe for them anymore. Just hit up the homies at Hop Drop to get some cans delivered. Save gas. Drink beer. Plus use code “BEERCHRONICLE” for 10% off your beer delivery. B52’s also going to be out at the Wild West Brew Fest in Katy this April 26 and 27th, and you can save 5% on your tickets with code “BEERCHRONICLE” while you’re sipping all kinds of different B52 beers.