People’s palates naturally gravitate toward sour flavors (as opposed to bitter). At least that was the argument logically laid out by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver in our interview earlier this year (which we’ve been rolling out in segments). So let’s take a look–or, rather, let’s take a taste of the brewery’s Bel Air Sour Ale, a crowd-pleaser that’s now available in Japan.

First, some context. Sour ales have not taken Japan by storm like they have the craft beer industry in America. There, most breweries make some kind of sour ale. Going back even further, sour ales have long been a part of the much older European brewing tradition, especially in Belgium. In Japan, a few importers have been bringing in sours in small amounts, and there are a handful of Japanese breweries that have done a respectable job of creating them. That’s about it. Brooklyn’s take on the sour could significantly raise the profile of sour beer in Japan, though, because of its growing distribution footprint thanks to its partnership with Kirin.

Bel Air has a jolt of tartness at the start. It’s not so sharp it will make you pucker, but it does grab your attention. That gives way to a refreshing and well-balanced blend of fruit flavors, especially tropical ones (think pineapple, guava, etc). Toward the finish, some bright hop character is evident. Oliver uses a healthy dry-hopping of Amarillo, which has notes of grapefruit and tangerine to add to the tropical character. The body is mild and smooth, perhaps even slightly dry, like a champagne, thanks in part to some pale wheat malt in the recipe.

Although the tropical character may have many thinking about summer, this refreshing beer would be great in any season because of how well it pairs with a wide variety of food. Sourness can help cut through fatty flavor so we’d pair with grilled meats.