Until recently, I’d never heard of a calamansi fruit. 

But, I had heard of Commonwealth Brewing! These guys revamped a historic fire station into what the local culture experts at Hoodline.com call the #1 Brewery in the state. 

They have stacks on stacks of reviews praising their flavorful brews, so if I trust anyone to introduce me to a new fruit in delicious beer form, it’s this crew. 

These flavor pioneers juiced up today’s Marmalada Sour IPA with calamansi, which I now know is a citrus hybrid that boasts lemonade and limeade flavors. Then, to deepen the brew’s complexity, they added tangy-sweet kumquat and orange. To finish it off, they smoothed the brew out with creamy lactose. 

The final result is a delightful dance between sweet creamsicle and succulent lemon drops on the tongue. Every sip opens up the palate to more flavorful intricacy!

At a very drinkable 6.7% ABV, the bottom of the can comes all too soon. But, it’s okay to crack open another right away — I also learned that calamansi fruit is really high in antioxidants, so we can pretend it’s healthy! 

This Sour IPA marks Commonwealth Brewing’s debut on Tavour!