Beer Review: Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 5.1 percent

Appearance: Samuel Smith's Organic Apricot glistened with a chroma of orange and golden hues. It was quite an attractive mix of the two. The body had a tinge of haze (which seemed to distort any presence of carbonation) to it and the head was a vivid white and very explosive. On an impressive note, the head rose very quick and had the notion to stop almost at the rim of the glass. It also gave way to some thick and web-like lacing.

Smell: Surprisingly, this was a little peppery and spicy. Very intriguing. The apricot aroma was slight, but complimented by a healthy yeast aroma. That provided that crust-esque combination I really enjoy in beer. The apricot aroma grew more impressive as the beer was able to warm-up.

Taste: The apricot was an amazing fruity sensation on the tongue. Especially as the beer got closer to warm temperature. The apricot was sweet, but more into the tart spectrum which I loved. The yeast provided that crusty backbone which reminded me of a cobbler or pie. I have to say that it was obvious that the fruit and the yeast were the focus of this beer. There was also a light hop bite on the back to punctuate things. A little touch of alcohol warmth peaked through as drink went on.

Overall Rating: 

An excellent fruit beer. Possibly one of the best apricot brews I've ever come across. It was very evident that the fruit and yeast were the two main characters in this play and I loved every second of it. Head was nice and foamy and provided some fluffiness and texture on every sip. It was actually kind of depressing once this bottle was gone. Luckily, I know where to get another one!

Beer Review: Dogfish Aprihop

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: Seven percent

Appearance: The body of Aprihop is on the darker side of the copper slope with some ruby red hues here and there as well. There was a prominent cream-colored head almost immediately after I finished pouring it. The head ended up leaving some thick lacing which was really sticky. I mean sticky to the point where there were still bubbles popping as it stuck to the inside of the glass. I mean that in a very good way.

Smell: The beer's aroma consisted mainly of hops. I wasn't expecting anything different. With an IPA, you usually get a grapefruit scent/flavor with it. This is mostly from the hops used in the brewing process. That wasn't so with this one. I got a small appetizer of apricot fruitiness.

Taste: The fruitiness of the apricot hit me right up front on each sip. I wouldn't want it any other way. It disappeared as it drifted towards the back of the tongue and  transpired into the Amarillo hop bitterness. The apricot pops back into the taste picture a millisecond before everything goes down. As I mentioned earlier, grapefruit is usually a prominent citrus flavor in IPA's. I enjoyed the apricot in this beer's taste. It complimented the hop bitterness in quite an interesting way.

Overall Rating: 

I rarely say it, but this was an IPA that was a home run with me. I pretty much will love anything with apricot. This had some hop bitterness, but it didn't completely obliterate my taste buds as some IPA's are prone to doing. The apricot acted as a slight surprise as it drifts across the tongue. The fruitiness and bitterness compliment each other nicely.

Beer Review: Sea Dog Apricot Wheat

Serving Type: Bottle

ABV: 4.6 percent

Appearance: Sea Dog Apricot Wheat pours a dark copper, somewhat reminiscent of a glass of apple juice upon the initial gaze. There is a minuscule white head that is there for just a few seconds before it disappears. There isn't much visible carbonation. The beer looks sort of flat, weak and you can see almost anything through it. Take a look and you can read "Guinness" on the other side of the pint glass.

Smell: Fruits come to the forefront in this beer's aroma. Apricot is the heaviest scent, followed by a slight peachiness. There's also a decent backbone of wheat and maltiness that gives you some the hint of a crusty/fruity dessert.

Taste: Both the apricot and the wheat I found in the smell come through big time in the taste. Very sweet and fruity on the front, yet very pale and malty on the back. Reminded me of something such as a peach/apricot cobbler. My only complaint is that the apricot might have been too sweet.

Overall Rating: 

Didn't start off to well with this beer, but the smell and taste made up for something in the scoring department. If you follow a decent amount of my beer reviews then you know about my "Pie Theory" when it comes to fruity beers. If I can feel like I'm taking a juicy bite into a slice or section of a thick fruit pastry then a beer always scores some bonus points in my book.

Lost Beers: Rivertowne Apricot Cream Ale

A magical beer ingredient. For eccentrics only.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the first post of yet another experimental post here on this blog. There are quite a few beers that I had once or twice and ended up being really enthralled with them. It just so happens that the few times I had to savor said beers were the only times

I had a chance to drink them at all. So, for future reference, if a beer is among one of these "Lost Beer" posts I'm still currently looking for it. I'm hoping that writing these every once in a while will help me to get more chances to try these beers.

The first "Lost Beer" is one of the first fruit beers I became fascinated with about two years ago. I had just turned 21-years-old and visited Rivertowne Pour House in Monroeville for the first time. I saw its Apricot Cream Ale on the beer list.

I must admit that the beer was fantastic. It wasn't too fruit, but had a strong vanilla backbone to it. It was very creamy. The beer's head wasn't too overbearing nor was it too flat. It was just right. The color was a pretty blond, too. Very appetizing. Excellent as a desert beer or for a hot day on the back porch.

I've been back to Rivertowne Pour House twice since and wasn't lucky enough to come across Apricot Cream on the tap list either time. I've periodically checked the Pour House's tap list online and still haven't seen any sign of it. Does Rivertowne even still brew this? I'm curious to know. Any information pertaining to the drinking of this beer is surely appreciated.