Judge's Review: 86 Rating - Roselle by Fair State Brewing Cooperative

Roselle by Fair State Brewing Cooperative is described as a Hibiscus Sour and was judged as a BJCP 2015 28C Wild Specialty Beer, but also sounds similar to X4 Catharina Sour (or a Florida Weisse). The beer pours a very bright ruby red, slightly hazy, with a very small whitish head of tiny bubbles. The head dissipates very quickly, and swirling struggles to bring up any head at all. The first whiff of this beer is medium floral and hibiscus, with a very light bready note, and just a hint of pie cherries. A sip is quite tart with a woody and strong hibiscus note, very light bread dough, and a fairly short finish - the tartness hits you then disappears - just a bit of fruity cherry notes (although not declared for the style) linger. No hop flavor or aroma with very low hop bitterness. Carbonation is moderate, with a slight carbonic bite. The beer finishes quite dry and tart, inviting another sip. The beer is quite tasty, but visually not as appealing as it could be with some head and retention. This beer would pair nicely with a broiled pork tenderloin, resetting your palate after the fatty and meat juice coats your mouth. Or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.