Channel Marker Brewing: A Killer Popsicle Style Sour Ale

As my regular readers know, I rarely write about beer, but sometimes I taste a particular beer which truly excites my palate, and I share that experience. Last week, I tasted just such a killer beer, from a local brewery in Beverly, and I even purchased a four-pack because I enjoyed it so much. 

Channel Marker Brewing is located on Rantoul Street in the Porter Mill building in Beverly, and it was formed by three friends, Justin Negrotti, Jake Crandell, and Tim Corcoran. They initially began brewing beer in Justin's garage in 2013, and launched their brewery in 2017. 

As their website states: "Channel Marker Brewing offers a perpetually changing menu of hand crafted, bright, and explorative microbrews. Our pride in freshness and quality compels us to keep production in-house, brewing everything on our five-barrel brewhouse. This small batch size gives us the freedom to brew experimental beers and our approach allows us to package several fresh batches every week. We have an affinity for brewing heavily fruited, expressive sours and hop-forward New England style IPA’s, but we offer a well-rounded portfolio of beer that includes lagers, stouts, porters, and more."

One of the beers that they are currently producing is Propeller, a Cherry Vanilla Popsicle Style Sour Ale. Popsicle style ales seem to be have been around for at least a few years, although this is the first one I've ever tasted. This particular beer has a 6.3% ABV, and is said to be a "Sour Ale brewed with sweet cherry, tart cherry, vanilla beans and milk sugar." 

Thie ale has a deep, rich pink color, and when you take a sip, the front of your palate is struck by bright cherry flavors, with a hint of tartness, The flavors then transform in your mouth, finishing with creamy vanilla notes, and the cherry taste becomes more subtle. I was enamored with how the delicious flavors evolved over my palate. In addition, it presented with only a mild hint of sweetness, which pleased me as well. Highly recommended!

You should visit their brewery in Beverly, and even though they don't have a kitchen, they usually have a food truck on the premises. In addition, Rantoul Street has some cool restaurants, including Soal Viet Kitchen, Frank, and Butter "Ur" Biscuit.  If you can't make it to their brewery, you can purchase some of their beers, including the Propeller, at Beacon Hill Wine & Gourmet in Melrose.