Brasserie Atrium has a decided South American influence, with owner and brewer Paula being from Brazil. She had worked as a brewer in Brazil before setting up her new brewery with hisband Val.
That influence goes against the nature of many of the Belgian breweries we are used to, but Brasserie Atrium are anything but traditional in that sense.
This is a blond sour with Brazilian fruits – papaya and passionfruit. In Brazil the word ‘maracuja’ means passionfruit, so the name of the beer is a mix of the word maracuja and papaya.
The beer pours pretty still; you have to work a bit to get any sort of froth which quickly disappears anyway. Sticking your nose in the glass presents a solid bouquet of tropicals fruits with a hint of sour.
The first sip induces a little eye-squint as the sourness grabs hold of the sides of your tongue, then your gums and continues down the back of your throat. This beer is perfect for summer. Low alcohol, really tasty, just a touch of sweet and that lovely tropical aroma each time you take a sip.