Four Loko Sour Apple

Four Loko Sour Apple is a canned, ready-to-drink flavored malt beverage. It isn't a traditional beer or a dry cider, so it's best judged by its own style. The listing doesn't give an ABV, IBU or tasting notes, so the following is what drinks in this category, and a sour green apple flavor in particular, usually deliver. Expect a sweet, candy-like apple aroma. On the palate, expect tart green-apple acidity up front, with sweetness that softens it toward the finish. Hop bitterness is negligible in this style, and malt contributes body and a light grain background rather than a defined flavor. Check the can for the exact ABV before serving, because strength varies between flavored malt beverages and can run well above standard beer. Serve it cold, roughly 2 to 4°C (35 to 40°F). Sour and sweet-tart flavors taste brighter and less syrupy when well chilled, and as the can warms the sweetness tends to dominate. If you want it colder still, 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer works, but don't leave it long enough to freeze. For glassware, a tall glass such as a pint glass or highball works well. Pouring lets the carbonation open up and shows the pale, bright color. You can also pour it over ice in a tumbler, though ice dilutes the flavor as it melts. Drinking from the can is fine for casual use. For food, salty and fatty dishes balance the sweet-tart profile. Good matches are pizza, fried chicken, buffalo wings, loaded nachos, pretzels and salty chips. The sourness cuts through grease in much the way a squeeze of lime would. Tacos with a chili-lime seasoning are another sensible fit, since the apple sweetness offsets the heat.