Apricot IPA, 7% ABV
Appearance: Dark copper, rust, with a thick head that recedes quickly, leaving little lacing on the glass. Carbonation is not visible, and the beer is cloudy.
Smell: Sweet from the malt, apricot, a bit of musk, and a hint of citrus.
Taste: Apricot, obviously -- would be kind of disappointing if we didn't get this, right? The apricot is throughout the body of the beer, bolstered by a honey malt base. The hops come in with a kick at the end.
Mouthfeel: It's light to medium-bodied, but due to the extra sweetness in the taste it's nice to not have too syrupy of a texture.
Overall: One of the first beers I remember enjoying was an apricot ale (Pyramid, I believe) and when I first sampled Aprihop, it was love at first sip. One thing I've noticed over the many times I've had this is that serving temperature is very important. When I've had it on tap at the perfect temperature, I get a lot more subtlety than I've ever been able to get from the bottle, though I've gotten pretty close to the right temp here at home. Above about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the malt becomes overly dominant, but too cold and you lose nearly everything except the hops. I'm on the upper end of temperatures today, so it was not too sweet but I suspect I may have lost some of the character. I have more of this, so I may have to revisit this review at a cooler temperature and report back.
It's still an overall favorite, and a standby I like to turn to when I see it around.
4/5
Appearance: Dark copper, rust, with a thick head that recedes quickly, leaving little lacing on the glass. Carbonation is not visible, and the beer is cloudy.
Smell: Sweet from the malt, apricot, a bit of musk, and a hint of citrus.
Taste: Apricot, obviously -- would be kind of disappointing if we didn't get this, right? The apricot is throughout the body of the beer, bolstered by a honey malt base. The hops come in with a kick at the end.
Mouthfeel: It's light to medium-bodied, but due to the extra sweetness in the taste it's nice to not have too syrupy of a texture.
Overall: One of the first beers I remember enjoying was an apricot ale (Pyramid, I believe) and when I first sampled Aprihop, it was love at first sip. One thing I've noticed over the many times I've had this is that serving temperature is very important. When I've had it on tap at the perfect temperature, I get a lot more subtlety than I've ever been able to get from the bottle, though I've gotten pretty close to the right temp here at home. Above about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the malt becomes overly dominant, but too cold and you lose nearly everything except the hops. I'm on the upper end of temperatures today, so it was not too sweet but I suspect I may have lost some of the character. I have more of this, so I may have to revisit this review at a cooler temperature and report back.
It's still an overall favorite, and a standby I like to turn to when I see it around.
4/5
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