Apricot Ale
Columbus Brewing Company

 

 

 

hazy, murky pale golden amber. Lots of suspension left no doubt in your mind that this one was an unfiltered one. A good two inch plus head formed at the top almost immediately and had a decent, but not long retention to it.

Very strong, almost pungent smell coming off of this one from the very beginning. The first whiff was ridiculously sweet with the smell of, what would you expect, apricots. Very fresh and full aroma. . Very very strong flavor of apricot pretty much overpowered anything else that was to be found inside of it for a good long time. It was a very sweet flavor as well, lots of, and I can not stress that enough, lots of apricot! The nice unfiltered wheat defiantly came through as well, but I would consider this to be way more a fruit brew then a Hefe, it was just overpowering in its approach.

A- Pours a golden orange with a white head. Head has pretty much no retention, but leaves some lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Smell is fairly sweet, a bit of funk (not really in a bret or sour way though), apricot, oranges and wheat. No hops.

T- Tasted again is sweet, tons of apricots, bready malts in here. No hops seem to be here.

M- Lighter side of medium and carbonation.

D- I'm just not a huge fan of this one. Nothing terrible nor great. Kind of reminds me of Magic Hat #9.

This is the last of the current normal selection of beers from CBC that I have not yet had. I picked up a 6-pack and took it outside in the nice weather.

A- A 2 finger fluffy white head rises up and fades to a thick film. Plenty of lacing. The beer is a nice shade of amber. It is semi clear.

S- Weak on the nose. Im not really letting this get too warm (this beer is really nice and refreshing when its right out of the fridge). The apricots are apparent on the nose though. Its nice and juicy smelling.

T- It starts out tasting pretty much like any normal APA with bready and caramelly malts, but the finish is loaded with juicy apricots and citrusy and floral hops. The apricots arent overbearing or too sweet and syrupy. They lend a nice, summertime refreshment to this beer.

M- Medium body, medium carbonation. Feels and finishes pretty slick and almost slimey.

D- This is a really nice warm weather beer. I would have no problem drinking this again.

Thanks to Csmiley for sending this one out to me.
Poured into a Sam Adams pint glass it produced a finger worth of white head that settled to a thin lace. The body of the brew was a apricot color how appropriate. It had aroma of apricot and flavors of apricot that's about it for this brew. Oh ya good carbonation and light in the mouth.

Now I am not to keen on extract added fruit craft beers. Use the real thing brewers please it is much better, and more in the sprit of a craft product. Ok enough of a rant

Acquired this from csmiley via Review This! BIF so a big THANK YOU goes out to him!

A: This beer pours a hazy deep honey color/light burnt orange with a one finger of white sudsy head. Head recedes almost rapidly leaving no lacing on the glass.

S: Nose is strong apricot and pale malts

T: Taste is well, it is inline with the nose. Taste is major apricot on the forefront, a touch overbearing before giving way to the pale malts. Finish is slightly orange peel and a bit of tangerine. As you let the afetertaste rest on your tongue, it is ALL orange peel.

M: Light body, moderate to high carbonation, crisp and clean body to this one.

D: Slightly overbearing on the fruit side of things. Overall not a bad beer....IMO, Magic Hat #9 is more balanced with fruit and malts where this is far more fruitier. It's a decent beer, and highly drinkable, but a few of these can go down easily (if you like the style).

I am not a fan of apricot ales too often. This one is great. I love the quickness with which it warmed me on a cold November day. When I think of Apricot Ales, I never think of Cold weather, but it had a great balance and acohol tinge that helped to drive it forward.

Apricot Ale is mostly clear and copper in color. Actually, it looks quite a bit apricot in color. It's topped with a really nice vanilla colored head that's over a couple of fingers deep. Retention is very good. Took quite a while to completely dissipate. Lacing was much thicker than expected.

The nose is a little weak. It is very fruity and a little sweet smelling. Apricots are apparent. Smells quite peachy too. Perhaps there's a thin line between the two. Earth and grainy notes are present. Hops are noted, but aren't very strong. They smell mostly floral. I'm actually surprised to pick them up at all. That wraps it up. It's not bad, but it's not quite good either. Average sums it up well.

The flavor isn't really any better. It is fruity throughout. Apricot and peach flavors are fairly strong. It's interesting in that it's not very sweet. That's surprising given the fruit and the amount of caramel and pale malt that's here. Those flavors are apparent, but it's still not sweet. Honestly it needs to be a little sweeter to work. There is a decent hop presence that gives it a lightly bitter and spicy edge. That's probably enough to drive to average. It's grainy and a little earthy. Alcohol is blended well. It finishes fruity and a little spicy.

Apricot Ale has a light body that leans medium. It's not quite smooth, but close. Carbonation is restrained, but the spicy finish seems to confuse the feel a little. Easily above average. Drinkability is very average for me. The flavor's very average and I'm struggling through a single bottle. I've had this stuff before and don't really like it. That's not changing today obviously.

Apricot Ale is probably a little above average as a whole. It's easily Columbus Brewing's worst beer. To be fair, there aren't many good fruit beers out there. That's a difficult task to master. This effort is far from a standout. The apricot flavor just isn't very good and really needs a sweeter flavor to even have a chance at succeeding. I'd suggest skipping this one if you make a trip to Columbus Brewing Company. They have a few beers that are substantially better than this one. Well, now that I think about it...all of them are.

Bottle acquired in trade with OhioDad (thanks!).

Poured a medium and hazy amber color with a large (4.5 finger) off white head. Aromas of apricots and wet grass. Tastes of lighter apricots, light caramel, and some hops. Lightly tart and lightly sweet. Thin and watery body.

Notes from: 6/28/05

Flavored beers, like coffee, are always somewhat scrutinized at first, and with good cause. There is always the fear that flavor shots of syrup are simply added to a lackluster brew. Relief is always a good thing and it came here, even with my trust of Columbus Brewery. The ale poured out a clear yellow to medium honey color, which worried me a bit. The foamy head looked like it go either way, all soapy fluff or a nice aroma embracing head. In this case, the head won out and retained throughout with nice white lace. The aroma as one can imagine, was of apricot, but not in a sickly sweet way. Rather, a mild smell with hints of lemon & honey. This worked well upon sipping although the malts came through with a little tacky mouth-feel & taste. A good apricot beer for certain, but not an ale I'd kick back with regularly.

A- Golden copper coloring when poured. Not much head either. Doesn't stay on the side of the glass.

S- You can definitely smell the apricots, but it is not overpowering at all. Can't really smell the malts or hops.

T- Outstanding fruit beer. Sweet apricot flavor without being overpowering. I give this a slight edge in taste over Pyramid Apricot Ale because I feel that Pyramid is too overpowering, but this is just right.

M- Goes down smoothly and not bitter at all. Not too sugary at all.

D- One of the most drinkable fruit beers out there. Definitely a must try for fans of this type of beer.

Got this one from csmiley!

Pours a very slightly hazy golden color, sturdy white head fades slowly into a foamy layer on top of the beer, small patches of lacing on the glass. Bit of a sour/tartness on the nose, almost candy-like, and a slightly wheaty aroma as well. Taste is pretty nice, slight sweetness from the apricot, nothing overbearing, slight lemony characteristics, grainy flavors on the finish. Medium-bodied, really refreshing, and something that you'd want to drink a few of on a hot summer day.

The pop of the cap reveals a big hiss of carbonation, and unsurprisingly it's a foamer on the pour. Pours a clear light orange golden color with a chunky, fizzy off white head on top. Good clarity, lots of bubbles racing to the top, and decent retention.

Smell is very pure, authentic apricot. Pretty nice really. It's mildly sweet with a hint of tartness.

The taste also has prominent and pretty tasty apricot, but it's also a little off. The bottle notes that this is made with apricot flavoring, and based on the flavor I'm thinking it's an extract. There's an earthy sort of bitterness, and a musty flavor, or maybe it's wet cardboard. Whatever it is it's rough around the edges, although the apricot flavor is nice.

This one is a light - medium body with a spritzy carbonation. The carbonation isn't surprising given the way it poured but I wish it were softer.

This is an entirely decent fruit beer, which is not a style I am inclined to drink with any regularity, but this one ain't half bad.

i hate to review this brew cuz i love columbus brewing. on the other hand i can cuz i am not a big fan of fruit beers. this is not bad. i bought a sixer and the first poured ok. no head. decent carbonation and some lace. a little strong on the apricot flavor but not syrupy like the lable claims. ok if you like fruity beers. the only thing is it says it has a nice hop finish...nah. hot a hop in the lot.

suckem up and movem out.

giblet

Poured from the tap into a tasting glass.

Appearance- Beer pours yellow and clear again with less head than the wheat, lacing still rings the glass and doesn't cling as much on the glass.

Smell- Apricot thick in the scent with light malts. No hints of hops, lightly perfumey but I would guess that's the apricot or the yeast.

Taste- Rich and sweet apricot with a good malty sweetness that lingers and leaves me wanting another sip. Very balanced. Refreshing, and just about everything else you would want an apricot ale to be. Much better than a #9 that will remain nameless.

Mouthfeel- Creamy, smooth, refreshing, medium-light bodied, evenly carbonated and effervescent.

Drinkability- This fruit beer may not always be my cup of tea, but I must admit this is a damn fine fruit beer.

A: Orange/golden brown beer with white head that vanishes quickly. Some lacing on the sides of the glass. No apparent carbonation from the bottom of the glass.

Smell: Sweet, and slightly funky smell of the beer is pleasant. Orange peel, wheat, floral. Pleasant

Taste: Sweet and full of apricots. There is a sourness/tartness that would be outstanding with the pairing of some brettamyces. What a beer this COULD be. I like the nice dried apricot weird/funky flavor that the finish brings on. Nice malt profile but no awareness of hops.

Mouthfeel: Smoothe in the beginning and then eventually drying. Abrasive finish isn’t cloying and begs to drink on. No sign of alcohol.

Drinkability: A nice summer session beer that I might get a growler of. Lookout DFH Aprihop.

Beer pours from the bottle a golden color with a slight, white head. Smell was just as the title indicates with little else left in the aroma. The taste is sweet, but not as overpowering as something like #9 or other fruity beers. The carbonation is present and the malt balance makes this a better drink than others in this "category". But then again I might be biased living so close to this hometown brewery.

I sampled this in a tasting flight at the brewery, about 3oz worth. It was a muted golden color, darkened by peach overtones. The smell was dominated by apricot and some fruity sugar.

The taste is really dominated by apricot, but not too sugary, more of a dried apricot character, accompanied by warm malt and melon overtones. The mouth is medium-bodies, light and sparkling with sugar on front, then dries out on the back palate.

A very drinkable fruit beer--not too sugary and rather well-balanced.