Elliott recently released a new sour ale that embraces freshly squeezed lemonade, and I think I might’ve just found my next favorite summertime beer.
Coming in at 5.5% alcohol by volume, Wild Leap’s LMN ADE offers a delightfully sweet and acidic take on the sort of lemonade you’d find at a farmers market or hometown festival. Elliott said the intention behind the brew was to make “one of the most palatable universal sours.”
And, I believe Wild Leap did just that.
When I took a sip of LMN ADE, I expected a mouth-puckering sour lemon note. However, I was met with a balanced beverage that reminded me of summers attending the Yellow Daisy Festival in Stone Mountain with my mom. We’d never leave the event without visiting the lemonade stand and purchasing a large plastic cup of the sugary tart drink.
To impart the touch of sweetness into the sour ale, Elliott said he used a combination of vanilla bean and lactose. Instead of adding lemon juice to the brew, he opted for lemon puree, which he said offers more depth to the fruit flavor.
When LMN ADE was released in spring 2021, Elliott said it quickly became a hit among customers, even those who typically turn their noses up at sours. The brewmaster said he wanted to create a year-round sour that was not only approachable, but balanced enough to stomach more than one.
For me, and many other sour ale lovers out there, this style of beer is usually preferred in small doses because of its acidity. If I buy a six-pack of sours, it’ll take my husband and me several months to drink our way through it. I usually end up having to call friends over to clear the beer out before it spoils.
Luckily, this isn’t the case with LMN ADE.
“For me, I like the fact that I never get tired of it,” Elliott said. “In any drinking session, there’s always room for one or two.”
If you’re interested in picking up a pack of LMN ADE, you can find it at Green’s Grocery, located at 971 Riverside Drive in Gainesville. For more information about Wild Leap’s brews, visit wildleap.com.
