Apricot Golden
Cleophus Quealy Beer Company

Roughly 10 oz. of a 750 mL bottle from 2017 into a tulip glass. Following the pour, two-and-a-half fingers of dense white foam perch atop a light golden base with a slight amber tinge. The lively carbonation throughout the beer contributes to a faint haze and lengthy retention of the head. The nose leads with a bit of yeasty farmhouse funk mingling with a blast of dried fruits and some lactic sourness. Secondary aromas are much sweeter, combining clover honey with a lightly-toasted cereal background. The flavor is like a see-saw, with vanilla and toasted barley giving way to stone fruit and sharp, spicy cracked black pepper. Only once these flavors have completed their dance to the front of the tongue do the drying hops make their appearance, cutting through the stickiness left by the other flavors. Mouthfeel on this beer is everything I never knew I needed, with the initial smoothness of a cream ale transitioning to a prickling tartness reminiscent of a gueuze. This beer hides its 9.6% ABV very well. The complex flavors of this beer make it a versatile pairing option for food; the acidic bite and bright hoppy finish would emphasize the peppery and earthy flavors in a wine-poached side of salmon with a spicy cilantro pesto. As a contrast, the initial rich creaminess, deep dried fruit flavor, and lightly toasted malt could complement a dessert consisting of cardamom and cinnamon ricotta with grilled peaches and a drizzle of honey.