Mash Gang x Vault City – Only In Dreams

So what happens when Mash Gang – one of the biggest names in the alcohol free beer industry – get together with Vault City, one of the biggest names in Sour beers? A 6 part collabarative series of beers.  With these two together we know we are in for some crazy beers which will be full of flavour but without the alcohol.

Today I am taking a look at the first beer in this series Only in Dreams which is a strawberry & jalapeno margarita pickleback.  

Now whats a Pickleback I hear you say?

Well the term pickleback relates to a shot of liquor chased by a shot of pickle brine. Or in the case of this beer, a strawberry Margarita chased down by a shot of jalepeno brine.  Well I’ll be honest, as crazy as this sounds, it also doesn’t sound very tasty. So I’m interested to open this beer and see how the flavours work in a sour beer.

Only in Dreams Initial Review

Well before I even open this beer, I’m going to say what a stunning can you have; a great looking comic scene of what looks like a futuristic Japanese city. The label is reflective and from different angles you can pick out different things in the scene. The photos don’t do it justice as the label is very difficult to get a good picture of with light reflecting from it.

Now to open the can. The first thing you notice on opening this beer is a very strong – almost jam-like strawberry aroma – mixed in with a little lime. There’s no hint of the jalapeno, and just smells like a lovely summery drink.

The next thing you notice on pouring the beer is it’s colour. With this being a sour you get the expected bright coloured beer, with its pinkish hues looking more like a soft drink than a beer.

The flavour is quite interesting.

I was expecting lots of strawberry but the main flavour I get at first is the lime with a bit of strawberry backing it up. Then as that flavour passes you get a slight sourness from the vinegar, and then there’s the jalapeno flavour. Neither of these are overpowering. The sourness is along the lines of a lot of other modern sour beers – and those done by Vault city – where it is more a hint of sourness. Then there’s the jalapeno. You get more of the flavour of the chilli as opposed to the heat, making it a lovely beer to be drinking on a warm summers day.

Sour beers on a whole can be a bit of a sticking point for some, and in the past I was probably included in this group. Those ones who say “well thats not a beer” (and yes in the traditional sense it isn’t) but what you do get here is a drink where the combination of flavours come together really well to produce a lovely refreshing beer.

Where Can I Buy Only In Dreams?

You can find Mash Gang X Vault City’s Only In Dreams at the following:

• Wise Bartender
• Dry Drinker
• Vault City

Only In Dreams Ingredients

Water, Malted barley (Gluten), Oats, Wheat, Strawberry, Lime, Chillis, Vinegar, Hops, Yeast

Not Suitable for Vegans

Final Thoughts

Well with these two big industry names coming together I didn’t really expect much else. A great flavoured alcohol-free sour which contains everything you’d want from a modern sour beer – just without the alcohol! You have a great flavour combination of lime & strawberry and the jalapeno in the finish, which creates one of those beers that you just can’t wait to crack open on a lovely warm summers day.

Maybe for some they will be wanting more sourness this will not be the beer for them let’s see that could change with five more beers to come in this series I am excited to see what they produce.