Evasion Brewing Eclipse of the Tart Kettle Sour

Evasion Brewing’s Eclipse of the Tart Kettle Sour

Gluten Free Kettle Sour Brewed With Passionfruit

Today I bring you the Total Eclipse Of The Tart Kettle Sour, brewed by Evasion Brewing in Oregon. (Ok…I may have added the “Total”, but I did it in song. Luckily, you’re spared from that noise as a reader.) This is a gluten free kettle sour beer brewed with passionfruit in a dedicated GF facility.. 

The Eclipse Of The Tart Sour Ale also features Amarillo and Hallertau Blanc hops and is brewed on a base of millet and rice. It has a 4% ABV and is packaged and distributed in 16 ounce cans. Gluten free from start to finish, as always. 

This is the first new Evasion Brewing beer I’ve gotten my hand on in awhile, so I’m very excited to see what their brewing up over there in the valley. If you’re unfamiliar with Evasion, I suggest you get your hands on some. Historically, their beers are among the most creative and experimental I’ve had in the dedicated gluten free world—and I have yet to have one of their brews that I didn’t like. 

Scroll on to see the beer pour, and once you finish reading the review you’ll find lots of Evasion Brewing links to other beers I’ve reviewed of theirs in the past. 

The Taste Test

(Total) Eclipse Of The Tart Kettle Sour Ale

I’ll admit, the label had me preparing myself for a pinkish brew, but I was pleasantly surprised by a rich sunflower gold body that carries a significant haze. The head is very generous, perhaps a little too heavily encouraged by my pour. It’s rocky and bubbles down pretty vigorously, but it leaves a filmy top layer in its wake.

The second thing I noticed after its visual appearance was the sour aroma. It’s strong and wafts into your face as you walk around with beer in hand. Nose is fruity and very tart. To my delight, the taste is a little less sour than the aroma, allowing you to really appreciate the tropical fruit notes, particularly the passionfruit that this beer is brewed with. 

The body is lighter than expected, simply because it’s not as heavy in texture as I thought it might be. There’s a nice honey-fruit sweetness (think orange blossom honey) and that balances nicely with the dry finish. Overall, this kettle sour has a pretty light mouthfeel and feels more easy drinking than most sours I come across. 

I love the subtle tropical character. It’s not overpowering, and plays nice with the light sour sweetness. I don’t know why, but lately I’ve found myself more sensitive to tartness. I find my relationship with sour and with spiciness does in waves. Sometimes I can handle a lot of spice (or sour), and then long periods of time pass where I feel I cannot. I’m kind of “off” my sour game right now, meaning I can’t handle too much of it. But this (Total) Eclipse Of The Tart truly hits the spot. It’s a beautiful light summer sour that is palatable for all. 

You can also drink it with food. It’s not too intense. In fact, it’s quite refreshing. The light 4% ABV also makes it lunch-beer friendly. :) As if there was a threshold for that…

Overall, I love this light sour and I extra-love that it’s brewed in a dedicated facility that always has this Celiac’s back. If you’ve had Evasion Brewing beers before, which style was your favorite? Have you ever had one you *didn’t* like? Comment below!

Check out more of Evasion Brewing’s gluten free beers below.

Blood Orange IPA

Evasion Blonde Ale

Pacific North #Blessed IPA

Evasion Light Lager

Holé Molé Imperial Chocolate Stout

Air Hostess From The 60s Hazy Pale Ale

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)