Beer: Tefnut Blackout
Brewery: The Veil Brewing Co. (Richmond, VA) / Omnipollo (Stockholm, Sweden)
Style: Sour – Fruited Gose
10% ABV / N/A IBU

Tefnut is an ongoing collaboration series between Richmond’s The Veil and Swedish nomad brewing operation Omnipollo that offers radical reinterpretations of the fruited gose style. Past iterations of the series have included riffs on blueberry muffins, tropical drinks, creamsicles, and believe it or not, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. As imperial goses, this beer are noticeably strong; in contrast to the Leizig gose, which was envisioned as a beer for field laborers, one pint of 10-11% ABV Tefnut is best experienced as a last pit-stop on the journey to the Land of Nod.

Perhaps the most striking thinking about Tefnut Blackout is that it looks like blood. Like, exactly like blood. I popped the tab on the 16-oz can and the spray around the lip and on my fingers resembled a crime scene. Pouring this into a glass is an elaborate exsanguination ritual. With virtually no carbonation, Tefnut Blackout more closely resembles a red wine in body and the way it stains the glass. The use of activated charcoal here is also a technique borrowed from winemaking. Still, this is a pretty interesting way to approach brewing a beer with some of the characteristics of wine without going the full grape ale/super dry route.

One slight criticism of the Tefnut series—and The Veil’s approach to sours, in general—is that the beers are so fruit-forward that they sometimes feel like drinking… juice. The blackberries and especially black currants shine through, but Tefnut Blackout is as sweet as a port of madeira wine, and both of those things are intended to be consumed in very small quantities. As heretical as it sounds, this beer is perfect for combining with cola as a riff on the Spanish party drink Calimocho, or treated like sangria and tempered a bit with club soda or Sprite. Gotta stretch that party out.

For more info, check out The Veil Brewing Co. here and Omnipollo here.