Mash Up the Jam

Those clever beer wizards at Hamilton's Collective Arts Brewing have got to be among Ontario’s most industrious and creative brewers. They pump out, can, and sell more new beers than just about anyone in the province, and they manage to get a lot of them onto the shelves of the provincially-run liquor stores, which I understand is no mean feat. The latest offering comes in the form of Mash Up the Jam, a dry-hopped sour ale. At 5.2%, there is a bit of bop to this pop. It’s sold in artsy 473mL cans from which emerges a sunny dull-gold nectar. Mash Up pours with a thin layer of off-white head and it has a funkily tropical nose. Tart, but well restrained, the beer isn’t briny or overly sharp. Rather, it’s quite approachable, which isn’t always the norm in sour ales. It has notes of almost ripened fruit—particularly citrus and stone fruits. The beer is built around an abrupt and dry mouthfeel, which holds whatever sweetness the fruit elements might try to impart very much in check. There is some bitterness, located almost entirely at the back end, though not as prevalent as I’d hoped it would be.

Mash Up the Jam is a fine and funky ale from an innovative and prolific brewery. Not there best work, perhaps, but an agreeably tart concoction with a bit of verve. Possibly a good starting point for someone new to sour ales and interested in exploring one.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.