Party Jam Apricot
Hermit Thrush Brewery

Canned February 8, 2021. Beer is the color of apple juice, with fizzy white head that lasted about a minute before fully disappearing. Nose has held up surprisingly well given the age. Very fruity, with apricot clearly noticeable and a tiny bit of mustiness lurking beneath. Not the most complex, but it smells very nice.

Taste is similar to the nose, with the apricots leading the way. Unlike many kettle sours I've tried, this one is well balanced. The taste is natural, with just enough acidity to make things interesting, but without being over the top. Beer is a little under carbonated, but it doesn't take away from the fact that this is well done and very easy going down.

Well done by Hermit Thrush.

Canned 2/8/21

It seems like I just can’t get away from Hermit Thrush’s sour series lately. This is probably my 4th in the last few weeks. As I’ve mentioned before I was deterred by the price previously, but I’ve decided that they’re worth the price tag. Apricot is a variant I’ve been very excited to try, it’s a very versatile fruit for beer. Let’s see what it’s all about

Pours a hazy orange gold with 3 fingers of dense off white head that slowly fades to a cap and leaves minimal lacing

The nose on this is so smooth and delicately balanced with wild yeast and jammy fruit. I’m picking up on aromas of dehydrated apricot, wet hat, tart lemon, white wine vinegar, apple skin, crackery malt, and a touch of pear

This is shaping up to be the best I’ve had in the series thus far. It’s even more fruit forward than the others, which can sometimes be a problem for the style but in this case it’s exactly what I’m looking for. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting sour lime, plump apricot, straw, bready malt, white pepper, and white grape. The swallow brings notes of white grape, minerally white wine, tart apricot, bready malt, sea salt, and a hint of leather

A light medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a beer that is simultaneously creamy and zippy. Finishes mostly dry with with a minerality that keeps things interesting

This is unquestionably the best one I’ve had yet. This is exactly why I keep coming back to this series. If it can consistently impress me, I’ll keep buying them

 

Party Jam Apricot from Hermit Thrush Brewing. Received in early June 2021 in Ninja box from @Roy_Hobbs. 16 oz can stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 3/7/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Top rim stamped “APRES-COT 02/08/21”. Served at 49.1 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 55.9 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Pale Gold (SRM 4), hazy.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), opaque. When rear-lite, translucent gold.
Head – Large (Maximum 6 cm, aggressive center pour), floral white, high density, short retention, diminishing to leave a 0.35 to 1.0 cm undulating crown and a thin complete cap. A few foam islands remain on the sides of the glass above the crown. Second pour produces a high density 1.3 cm head.
Lacing – Fair. A wide mostly open glass band resembling some alien script results. What lacing is present is made up of extremely tiny bubbles.
Aroma – 3.75 – Begins with a yeasty, woody, aroma, no malt, no hops.
Flavor – 3.75 – Begins with acidy flavors but not particularly lactic or acetic, just an acidy sourness. No malt, no hops. A bit of yeast appears in the background. Some fruitiness vaguely resembling apricot or peach is also present. No ethanol (5.9 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Slight gastric warming does occur. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Ends slightly sour.
Palate – 4 – Medium, creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Decent sour with fruity overtones and little yeastiness. Ugly.