That may be a side benefit but strictly from a brewers perspective, confining live lactobacillus to one vessel (the mash tun) before the wort boil kills it, is relative insurance it won't infect any other equipment in the brewery thus souring/ruining other beers....for a brewer making several varieties of beer to which lacto is a full blown infection issue, this makes sense.The principle behind a sour mash seems to be that you can get everything over and done with in about a day, before you even start brewing. No wonder the beer tastes unlike anything else.
I note that the major Euro sour ale makers make only this single style of beer in one facility ( eliminating infecting other beers they may make with the lacto).
As for the aromas and tastes that tasters are getting from the "good" version...these are certainly not to BJCP style template...but, as I say we have never had full sour mash ale before...and then there's the possibility of whether the lacto is the proper strain for the style and the quantity correct....sour cheese smells indicate that maybe this isn't ale strain lacto.
At any rate I have to try this now, fresh. and in a year or so from cellared bottles to judge is sour mash ale is my cup of tea.
