Off Color Blueberry Yuzu Fierce 4Pk is a fruited Berliner Weisse-style sour ale at 4.2% ABV, sold in a 4-pack of 16 oz cans from Chicago's Off Color Brewing. This variant layers ripe blueberry onto the Fierce line's signature yuzu-and-calamansi citrus backbone, producing a deep ruby-red pour with the tart, refreshing character of blueberry lemonade Italian ice — earning a 4.1 out of 5 on Untappd from over 120 ratings.

Quick Facts: ABV: 4.2%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois, USA  |  Style: Fruited Berliner Weisse  |  Brewery: Off Color Brewing  |  Format: 4 × 16 oz cans

Production & Heritage

Off Color Brewing, founded in Chicago, built its reputation on historically inspired and unconventional beer styles. The Fierce line uses a two-stage souring and refermentation process: the wort — a 50/50 grain bill of pilsner malt and wheat (including flaked wheat) — is first cooled to 50°C and 100% kettle-soured overnight using Off Color's proprietary in-house Lactobacillus strain under a CO₂ blanket to exclude unwanted microbes. The soured wort is then pasteurized, fermented clean with a farmhouse ale yeast, and finally conditioned on blueberry, yuzu, and calamansi puree added directly to the fermenter for a secondary refermentation. This controlled method delivers clean lactic acidity with layered fruit complexity, avoiding the unpredictability of wild fermentation while preserving bright, true-to-fruit character.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Ripe blueberry leads immediately, followed by a sharp yuzu citrus lift and a subtle tropical undercurrent from the calamansi. There is a faint lactic tang beneath the fruit, signaling the beer's sour foundation without overwhelming the nose.

Taste: The entry is bright and tart, with clean lactic acidity meeting juicy blueberry on the front palate. At mid-palate, yuzu's distinctive lime-grapefruit hybrid character emerges alongside calamansi's tropical sharpness, adding depth beyond simple berry sweetness. The beer stays light-bodied and fruit-forward without veering into cloying or syrupy territory.

Finish: Dry, crisp, and cleansing, with lingering tartness and a final echo of blueberry skin and citrus pith. The finish is short to medium, encouraging the next sip rather than sitting heavy.

How to Drink Blueberry Yuzu Fierce

Serve cold — around 38–42°F — directly from the can or poured into a tulip glass to appreciate the deep ruby color and aromatics. The low ABV and dry tartness make it a natural all-afternoon sipper. For cocktail-adjacent applications: use it in a Berliner Shandy mixed half-and-half with lemonade for a backyard crowd-pleaser; try it as a Beer Mimosa topped with a splash of dry sparkling wine, where the blueberry and citrus complement the bubbles; or build a Sour Beer Spritz over ice with a dash of elderflower liqueur and a grapefruit twist, letting the yuzu and calamansi amplify the citrus.

Best For

• Warm-weather patio sessions where low ABV and high refreshment are priorities
• Introducing sour-beer-curious drinkers to the Berliner Weisse style without an aggressive pucker
• Pairing with brunch spreads — the tartness and fruit cut through rich egg dishes and pastries
• Gifting to craft beer enthusiasts who appreciate Chicago's boundary-pushing brewing scene

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Blueberry Yuzu Fierce taste like? It tastes like blueberry lemonade Italian ice — bright, tart, and fruit-forward with clean lactic sourness, ripe blueberry, sharp yuzu citrus, and a dry, refreshing finish with no lingering sweetness.

How does Blueberry Yuzu Fierce compare to regular Yuzu Fierce? Both share the same kettle-soured Berliner Weisse base, but Blueberry Yuzu Fierce adds blueberry puree during refermentation, resulting in a deeper ruby color and an added berry sweetness that some drinkers prefer while others favor the base version's purer citrus focus. The base Yuzu Fierce received a 93/100 from Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine in a blind BJCP tasting, though no equivalent score exists for the blueberry variant specifically.

Is Blueberry Yuzu Fierce good for sour beer beginners? Yes — at 4.2% ABV with a clean, controlled tartness and generous fruit character, it is one of the more approachable entries into the Berliner Weisse style without the funkiness or high acidity that can challenge newcomers.

Where is Blueberry Yuzu Fierce made? It is brewed by Off Color Brewing in Chicago, Illinois, a brewery known for historically inspired and experimental ale styles rooted in European sour and farmhouse traditions.

What foods pair well with Blueberry Yuzu Fierce? Goat cheese salads benefit from the beer's tartness cutting through the creaminess; grilled shrimp tacos with lime crema echo the citrus notes; lemon poppyseed cake mirrors the bright acidity; charcuterie boards with aged salami provide a salty counterpoint; and fresh berry tarts create a complementary fruit-on-fruit pairing.

What sizes does Blueberry Yuzu Fierce come in? It is sold as a 4-pack of 16 oz (pint) cans, which is the standard retail format for this product.

Is Blueberry Yuzu Fierce worth the price? It positions in the mid-range tier for craft fruited sour ales, and the controlled two-stage souring process plus three distinct fruit additions (blueberry, yuzu, and calamansi) represent genuine production complexity that justifies its place among premium craft sours.

Why Blueberry Yuzu Fierce?

What separates this beer from the crowded fruited-sour market is Off Color's disciplined production approach: the proprietary Lactobacillus kettle-souring under CO₂ exclusion, followed by clean farmhouse yeast fermentation and a precise refermentation on three distinct fruit purees, yields a layered beer that tastes deliberately constructed rather than simply fruit-bombed. The 50/50 pilsner-wheat grain bill provides a clean, light canvas that lets the blueberry-yuzu-calamansi combination speak clearly. At 4.2% ABV, it delivers full flavor intensity at session-level strength — a balance many fruited sours fail to achieve. For drinkers who want a sour ale that is tart, dry, complex, and genuinely drinkable across multiple cans, Blueberry Yuzu Fierce earns its place.