On the side of the bottle: "On August 20, 2012, a team of cohorts from the LA Beer Industry joined forces for the brewing of Unity to commemorate the 4th anniversary of Los Angeles Beer Week. The name "Unity" represents the collective idea of promoting ongoing growth of the beer culture in our city. The camaraderie and support we lend to each other in this industry inspires and enables Angelenos to realize the common goal of unity through better beer!"
This year's Unity is a Berliner "Rye" (as opposed to Berliner Weisse) brewed with prickly pear and is a very manageable 3.25% ABV. It was available from Eagle Rock throughout Beer Week, and as this is a one-off beer, when the bottles run out, it's done for good!
Appearance: The picture makes this look quite orange, but it's actually a very light, cloudy yellow. I poured off minimal head that recedes to approximately nothing.
Smell: There is definitely a funky foot smell from the sour character, and the prickly pear also hits the nose in a big way. There is a bit of grain/breadyness, and a slightly sweet note from the rye.
Taste: Overall light and fruity, with a tart kick. This isn't an overly complex beer, but it's certainly refreshing; the prickly pear and rye flavors work well together with the tartness to create a flavor balance that has an impact without feeling heavy or overwhelming.
Mouthfeel: Very light and dry, with a perfect amount of carbonation.
Overall: It has been so damn hot in LA over the past few weeks, and this is a very welcome beverage to beat the heat. The brewers and collaborators definitely knew what they were doing when they decided on this style for a late-summer beer. Berliners aren't necessarily a "wow" style in that they don't really specialize in huge flavors, but Unity 2012 is exactly on point for what I would expect a "Berliner rye" to taste like. Sessionable beers can be very tough, in that their more delicate flavors don't mask "off" qualities as well as a bolder flavors do. This didn't appear to be a problem for Unity, as I can't pick up on any off flavors and am thoroughly enjoying the delicate palate and mouthfeel on this 100-degree day.
4/5
This year's Unity is a Berliner "Rye" (as opposed to Berliner Weisse) brewed with prickly pear and is a very manageable 3.25% ABV. It was available from Eagle Rock throughout Beer Week, and as this is a one-off beer, when the bottles run out, it's done for good!
Appearance: The picture makes this look quite orange, but it's actually a very light, cloudy yellow. I poured off minimal head that recedes to approximately nothing.
Smell: There is definitely a funky foot smell from the sour character, and the prickly pear also hits the nose in a big way. There is a bit of grain/breadyness, and a slightly sweet note from the rye.
Taste: Overall light and fruity, with a tart kick. This isn't an overly complex beer, but it's certainly refreshing; the prickly pear and rye flavors work well together with the tartness to create a flavor balance that has an impact without feeling heavy or overwhelming.
Mouthfeel: Very light and dry, with a perfect amount of carbonation.
Overall: It has been so damn hot in LA over the past few weeks, and this is a very welcome beverage to beat the heat. The brewers and collaborators definitely knew what they were doing when they decided on this style for a late-summer beer. Berliners aren't necessarily a "wow" style in that they don't really specialize in huge flavors, but Unity 2012 is exactly on point for what I would expect a "Berliner rye" to taste like. Sessionable beers can be very tough, in that their more delicate flavors don't mask "off" qualities as well as a bolder flavors do. This didn't appear to be a problem for Unity, as I can't pick up on any off flavors and am thoroughly enjoying the delicate palate and mouthfeel on this 100-degree day.
4/5
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