-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Castlebrite Apricot Ale
Dragonmead Microbrewery
Beer Geek Stats
| Print Shelf Talker
- From:
- Dragonmead Microbrewery
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- American Pale Wheat Beer
Ranked #46 - ABV:
- 5.1%
- Score:
- 87
Ranked #15,876 - Avg:
- 3.89 | pDev: 11.31%
- Reviews:
- 7
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jul 20, 2023
- Added:
- Dec 01, 2005
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 4
Castlebrite is the first fruit beer to come from Dragonmead. This Apricot Ale uses an apricot puree as well as Pale Wheat malt to bring about this wonderfully refreshing brew. This beer starts with a subtle sweetness and slight apricot flavor, and finishes with a palate-cleansing tartness that will leave you wanting more.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Pog-Mo-Thoin:
Rated by Pog-Mo-Thoin from Michigan
3.97/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dec 22, 2014
3.97/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dec 22, 2014
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by robotnewyork from Michigan
3.5/5 rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -10%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Sarah had when we visited Dragon's Landing for the first time. It is a good curve ball to the many IPA and dark, strong ales that Dragonmead has. Nice apricot smell and smooth taste.
Jan 17, 2020Reviewed by JimboBrews54 from Michigan
5/5 rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
5/5 rDev +28.5%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
I have wanted to try this brew for a long time, beautiful bouquet of an ingredient you do not see very often in beer. This is like Blue Moon but with a better taste to it and not as strange tasting. This is a summer beer for sure!
Jan 07, 2019Reviewed by StoutHunter from Michigan
3.69/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.69/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I picked up a bottle of Dragonmead's Castlebrite Apricot Wheat for $3.09 at The Lager Mill. I've had this beer before and I thought it was just, but now that I saw some bottles of it I'm willing to give it a try again, so lets see how it goes. 2017 Vintage. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a imperial pint glass.
A- The label looks nice, it has a nice design that goes with the name and it's a little eye catching. It poured a darker orange color that took on more of a golden orange color when held to the light and it had a fingers worth of slightly tan head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left a little bit of spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, I have no complaints.
S- The aroma starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with a nice fruity, apricot and stone fruit like aromas that impart a nice juicy and candied apricot like aromas. Up next comes a little bit of a funky and lactic aroma that goes into some creamy sweetness with hardly any malty aroma with only a little bit of malty aromas. This beer has a nice aroma, but I could go with out the funky lactic like aroma.
T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the apricot being the first to show up and it imparts a nice apricot flavor that is creamy and it's not as juicy as it was in the aroma. Up next comes a little bit of bitterness with some sweet malts and a little bit of malts showing up. On the finish there's a just a little bit of tartness with a creamy apricot flavor in the aftertaste. This is a pretty nice tasting beer, the apricot is showcased nicely.
M- Fairly smooth, crisp, a little refreshing, medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is pretty nice and it works well with this beer.
Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and it's a nice example of the style, it lives up to it's name with the apricot being showcased nicely. This beer had nice drinkability, I could drink a couple of these, especially in the summer time. What I like the most about this beer is how well the apricot is highlighted, it makes it live up to it's name. What I like the least about this beer is the funky lactic aroma, it would be better if it didn't have that. I would buy this beer again when in the mood for an apricot beer and I would recommend it to anyone looking for same. All in all I liked this beer, it was pretty straightforward and for the most part it lived up to my expectations. It's one of the better beers that I've had from this brewery and it's a nice example of the style. Nice job guys, this is a tasty apricot beer, keep it up.
Aug 02, 2017A- The label looks nice, it has a nice design that goes with the name and it's a little eye catching. It poured a darker orange color that took on more of a golden orange color when held to the light and it had a fingers worth of slightly tan head that died down to a thin ring that eventually faded away and it left a little bit of spotty lacing behind. This is a pretty nice looking beer, I have no complaints.
S- The aroma starts off with a medium amount of sweetness with a nice fruity, apricot and stone fruit like aromas that impart a nice juicy and candied apricot like aromas. Up next comes a little bit of a funky and lactic aroma that goes into some creamy sweetness with hardly any malty aroma with only a little bit of malty aromas. This beer has a nice aroma, but I could go with out the funky lactic like aroma.
T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with a higher amount of medium sweetness with the apricot being the first to show up and it imparts a nice apricot flavor that is creamy and it's not as juicy as it was in the aroma. Up next comes a little bit of bitterness with some sweet malts and a little bit of malts showing up. On the finish there's a just a little bit of tartness with a creamy apricot flavor in the aftertaste. This is a pretty nice tasting beer, the apricot is showcased nicely.
M- Fairly smooth, crisp, a little refreshing, medium bodied with a medium amount of carbonation. The mouthfeel is pretty nice and it works well with this beer.
Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and it's a nice example of the style, it lives up to it's name with the apricot being showcased nicely. This beer had nice drinkability, I could drink a couple of these, especially in the summer time. What I like the most about this beer is how well the apricot is highlighted, it makes it live up to it's name. What I like the least about this beer is the funky lactic aroma, it would be better if it didn't have that. I would buy this beer again when in the mood for an apricot beer and I would recommend it to anyone looking for same. All in all I liked this beer, it was pretty straightforward and for the most part it lived up to my expectations. It's one of the better beers that I've had from this brewery and it's a nice example of the style. Nice job guys, this is a tasty apricot beer, keep it up.
Reviewed by Tripel_Threat from Michigan
4.04/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
One of the better wheat ales I've had. Hazy gold in color, really rich looking. A thin collar of foam. Served on tap im a shaker pint. Aromas of freshly pulped apricot, with some nice wheat banana and spice notes. Feel is medium and prickly, with big juicy apricot flavors bursting forth ahead of a great wheat base finish.
Jun 18, 2017Reviewed by superspak from North Carolina
3.88/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.88/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled on 10/20/2016. Pours fairly hazy/cloudy golden orange color with a small fairly dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings down the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of lightly tart apricot, peach, pear, apple, wheat, lightly toasted biscuit, light honey, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of apricot and bready malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of big lightly tart apricot, peach, pear, apple, wheat, lightly toasted biscuit, light honey, herbal, light pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy bitterness and light fruit tartness on the finish; with lingering notes of apricot, peach, pear, apple, wheat, biscuit, herbal, pepper, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a short bit. Very nice robustness and balance of apricots, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; with a nice malt/bitter/tartness balance, and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp/dry, bready/grainy, and lightly sticky/acidic balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.1%. Overall this is a very nice fruited pale wheat ale. All around nice robustness and balance of apricots, bready malt, and light-moderate earthy hop flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink. A very enjoyable offering.
Apr 01, 2017Reviewed by 98green from Michigan
3.81/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at an Old Chicago. A fine fruity wheat beer. Maybe a touch on the sweet side, but the apricot flavor is nice and not too cloying. I would certainly try again
Aug 06, 2015
Castlebrite Apricot Ale from Dragonmead Microbrewery
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
25 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!