Bastardized: Apricots
Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Burlington

375 ml bottle for about $5.70 CDN from the retail store. Served cold into a pint glass.

Appearance - pours a deep shade of brown, virtually black and capped with a finger and a half of light tam head. Staying power is modest and minimal lacing although a small foamy layer does linger.

Smell - quite fruity with apricots leading the charge, subtle bit of coffee mixed in but it is fruit driven.

Taste - fruity initially again with apricots leading the way and the faintest bit of coffee and roasty malt at the end. The first bottle I had was more acidic and bitter with wet coffee grounds. The fruitier version is nicer. There is a pervasive tartness to this brew.

Mouthfeel - somewhat slick, medium bodied, carbonation on the lower end.

Overall - an interesting take on apricots that's for sure. I had two bottles that were very different. One highlighted the apricots was light and fruity with some roasted malts coming in at the end. The other was a porter through and through with apricots and extreme tartness shining though occasionally, it wasn't as pleasant of an experience. I should probably get a third bottle to determine which beer this actually is but either way the cost is likely preventing a third purchase, it's good but not that good.

 

On Draught, pours a dark, dark brown bordering on black. No head but some faint lacing is present. The nose is quite mellow with notes of coffee. At first there's a mild ground coffee presence on the palate which turns into a subtle tangy apricot. A crisp finish with a quick bitter bite. A bit thin but that in turn makes it easy to quaff.