Exodus (Central Waters Brewing, Amherst, WI)

Picked up this bottle of Exodus from the corner liquor because it was the new beer on the shelf.  I'm a sucker for new, even though Central Waters has never been a brewery that has impressed me.  In fact, I had to look at a picture of the bar to remember that I stopped there once (part of the Good Beer Bus Tour 2006) .  But everyone deserves an update chance.

Corked and caged bottle opened with a light pop, so had to pour hard down the middle to create an ephemeral white head with large irregular bubbles.  Color of a new copper penny, it peaks my expectation in the glass.  First sip--wow--sour.  I should really research my beers ahead of time a bit more.  While I saw the "Ale Aged in Oak Barrels with Cherries Added" on the front label, I missed the "sour ale" and "Door County Cherries" on the back description.  Listed on BeerAdvocate as a Flanders Red Ale.  

In this case, it may have turned out better to not have read the label clearly.  Being a fan of Flanders Red, my expectations would have been even higher.  However, the beer disappoints the style, but is fine for a try tonight.  In the nose, the familiar Door County cherries used famously by New Glarus are clearly there.  Clear sour from the trifecta of sour bugs and the oak is there if you look for it.  Take a taste and the oak is now out front with a pleasant fruity sourness.  Body is thin and seems to fall off the back with little to stop it.  Adequate, and my perception of Central Waters has changed very little: solid, but rarely stellar.