Right, the name alone tells you everything you need to know here, Fort Nonsense Brewing is not being subtle. An Overwhelming Surplus of Berries is the original entry in their "Overwhelming Surplus" series, and it's back for the brewery's fifth annual Sourstock, which is either a strange kind of anniversary tradition or an excellent excuse, possibly both.
This is a Fruited Sour Ale loaded with strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry, and at 8.1% ABV it's considerably stronger than its cheerful, fruit-forward color lets on. Sour ales built around four different berries at once could easily turn into mush, one flavor drowning out the rest, but the brewery's clearly kept this one dialed in enough that it's earned repeat billing as, in their words, the OG that started it all.
Randolph, New Jersey's Fort Nonsense has built an entire weekend festival around this genre, ten-plus sours on tap, two bars running simultaneously, and a whole lineup of variations on the fruited and wine-barrel sour theme. Bringing back the original rather than only chasing new variants says something, it means the first attempt was good enough to still be the standard the rest get measured against.
Available on tap and in 16oz four-packs, starting this weekend at Sourstock.
Some beers get outgrown by their own sequels. This one's still setting the pace.