Tank Top Tangerine
Grand River Brewing

 

Tank Top Tangerine has a yellow complexion; apparently the addition of actual tangerines as well as tangerine and orange essences didn't make enough of an impression to affect colour. (No worries there - vivid colour is often an indication of additives or colouring.) Its head is about as thick as a citrus peel but doesn't envelop nearly as well; it's spotty.

Tangerine fruit is present in the aroma but it could easily be overlooked, or mistaken for generic ale yeast esters. There's no chance of attributing it to some variety of tropical hops; they'd be far more forward and aromatic. In actuality, it's the malt that's most noticeable. Spritz of citrus aside, this bouquet is markedly bready and biscuity.

Likewise, I wouldn't go so far as to call the tangerine flavour on the palate subtle, but it's certainly not overpowering either. Let's call it "modest", which is not such a bad thing; too many fruit beers are bombastic and saccharine, seemingly artificial and quickly cloying. This one is beer first with just a brush of orange fruit on its underbelly, which is likely for the better.

All that being said, it is a double-edged sword: as nice as it is to find reasonable levels of fruit, I didn't think I was signing up for such a hearty, bready malt profile. This is as filling as barley soup and your average fruit beer drinker will surely find it far too dense for their liking. This kind of 'biscuits and hard mineral water' profile is better suited to a style like English Bitter in my opinion.

Tank Top Tangerine is a very pleasant beer - it's just not how I would have gone about brewing a summer seasonal by that name. Personally, I would have used a little more wheat to create and a lighter mouthfeel and thrown in an extra handful of zestful, tropical hops later in the boil. But since I didn't I'll just shut-up and enjoy this for what it is instead - because it's pretty enjoyable.