Name: Rabid Beaver Attack
Brand: Adroit Theory Brewing Company
Availability: InStock

The name arrived the way several Adroit Theory Brewing Company names do, by way of a news headline. The brewery says this one was inspired by a recent report of a beaver attack, and notes that its version is a more satisfying encounter than the original.

The beer is a departure for a house specialty. Adroit Theory's cheesecake-themed releases have generally lived in its cream stouts, a combination the brewery concedes sounds contrary and defends as one of its better ideas. Rabid Beaver Attack moves that concept into a smoothie sour, and adds chocolate and raspberry to it.

The base change is more consequential than it looks. What makes cheesecake recognizable is not sweetness but the lactic tang of cream cheese, sitting on top of fat and vanilla. A stout has to imply that tartness. A sour already has it, which means the defining note of the flavor is coming from the beer itself rather than being layered on.

Raspberry is a sound partner for the same reason. It is sharp as well as sweet, and the brewery says it was added for that classic tart and sweet pairing. Against chocolate it is a long-established combination, and against a cheesecake character it is close to the standard topping.

Rabid Beaver Attack is available now at the Purcellville taproom in pours and crowlers, with 13 crowlers filled.

Editor’s Take

Cheesecake is not actually a sweet flavor, which is the thing people forget when they try to build it into something. The sugar is a supporting player. What your mouth is really identifying is the sour tang of cream cheese, propped up on fat and a bit of vanilla, and that tang is the whole reason a slice of it does not feel sickly. Adroit Theory has been landing this in cream stouts for a while now and getting real results, which takes some doing.

Putting it in a sour, though, means the base is finally handing over the acidity for free. The tartness that the stout versions have to construct is simply the house style here. Add raspberry, which is itself sharp and sweet in roughly the same proportions, and you have three things all pulling the same direction. This one should be worth seeking out on architecture alone.

Source & Editorial

JollyPint independently prepares release articles using information published by breweries through newsletters, websites, and other official public communications. Brewery-supplied descriptions and tasting notes are reported as provided, while editorial context is added by JollyPint.

Rabid Beaver Attack Moves Cheesecake From Stout Into Sour

Adroit Theory's cheesecake beers have lived in its cream stouts. This one takes the idea into a sour base and adds raspberry, which puts the tang of cream cheese somewhere it can come by it honestly.

Source & Editorial