After cranking out some of the weirdest stuff that Cincinnati has seen in it’s beer community in a long time, Urban Artifact is about to kick things into a whole new gear with the release of a ton of barrel aged sours.  The bottles will be hitting the hands of a lot of very eager drinkers at the start of the party on Saturday, April 22nd.

These beers have spent a lot of time, tucked away in barrels with house strains of yeast and bacteria, creating layers of nuanced flavors that typical kettle souring can’t even come close to.  This is cool stuff, folks.

I suppose we should start by tackling these beers one at a time, right?

Palmistry

This beer is the seasonal release from Urban Artifact, though it’s the first time that it’s going to see bottles.  The regular version is the first that I’ll mention, because it’s not barrel aged like all the other goodies that we’re going to get our hands on.  That doesn’t mean you should sleep on this one, though.  If you haven’t met this one yet, It’s a Double Berliner Style Pale Ale brewed with Pineapples, Guavas, and Kumquats.  This leaves it with a fantastic tropical fruity character that is perfect for the summer heat.  According to the label:

Reading the lines on your palm is an ancient method of looking into your future and determining your character.  We see enduring love and great flavors ahead!

The beer clocks in at 8.5% ABV, and is packaged in six packs of 12 ounce bottles that will retail for $14.99.

Wine Barrel Aged Palmistry

Here’s the start of the crazy stuff.  What better way to celebrate the first packaging of Palmistry than take some and stash it away in Wine Barrels for a while?  The beer then receives a second addition of kumquats, pineapple, and guavas to make sure it’s fruity and tropical enough for you to enjoy as the season dictates – although… cellaring a bit away might not be such a bad idea, just to see what happens with it!  This one will be released in 500ml bottles for $15.99

Perpetuum

Urban Artifact first started talking about their Solera project in 2016.  These 500ml bottles are a result of that project (that you should really read about).  They’ll be releasing both the 2015 and 2016 versions for you to try, compare, and stash away in your cellar for another day.

The 2015 vintage of this beer is sour, funky and dry.  The brewery has said that it’s the epitome of wild culture.  If you’re a fan of who this brewery is, and who they are becoming, you need to get your hands on some of it.

As for the 2016 (which uses a bit of the previous years batches) has a bit more funk and acidity than it’s older sister does.  Get it and cellar it!!!!  The bottles will retail for $16.99

Escapement

This is a new one from the brewery.  This barrel aged sour will be released in three different fruited variants:

  • Nectraine Escapement
  • Red Raspberry Escapement
  • Tart Cherry Escapement

Each of the Escapement variants will be in 500ml bottles that will retail for $16.99 a piece.

The Music

As you should probably be used to by now from Urban Artifact, in addition to the beer, they’re going to have a full line up of music all day as well.  Hit up their Facebook page to make sure if you’re looking to see someone particular you get there at the right time because this is a hell of a lineup:

  • Timbre
  • The Harelquins
  • Wonky Tonk
  • The Skulx
  • Talk Mouth
  • Lipstick Fiction
  • Abertooth Lincoln
  • The Grove
  • Reincarnation Mvmt
  • Abby Vice
  • Zoo
  • Tyler Christopher (As Elvis)

Leave a Comment.