Valerie
Around the Bend Beer Co.
- From:
- Around the Bend Beer Co.
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- Cream Ale
- ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- +5 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.48 | pDev: 14.37%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Jun 08, 2025
- Added:
- Jun 18, 2022
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
Vera? You'll love her cousin, Valerie, who's visiting this spring. For a limited time only, we've got a special treat for you. We've taken our popular Pistachio Cream Ale and added a touch of sweet Meyer lemon for that fresh, flowers-are-blooming, spring feeling. It's as delicate in flavor as ever, brewed with Caravienne malt, for a touch of extra body. And at just five percent ABV, you’ll be ready to tiptoe through the tulips!
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Jmsandberg17 from Missouri
4.04/5 rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.04/5 rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
16 oz can pours a deep golden yellow color inclining to orange with a bit of white fizzy head that quickly dissapears. Slightly hazy with little bits of something floating in it; lemon, maybe? Smell is wonderful, it's a rich, sweet, and zippy lemon note like a fancy lemon desert with a bit of nuttiness too. Taste follows the aroma, like a nice fancy lemon cake that tastes like more than just sugar. Typical malt notes of a cream ale and a touch of pistachio. Medium body and low carbonation mouthfeel. Very subtle sweetness and tartness. Very little bitterness but still closes nicely.
Pretty good beer, I would definitely try this again.
Jun 17, 2023Pretty good beer, I would definitely try this again.
Reviewed by beerandfearcast from Illinois
2.85/5 rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
2.85/5 rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
This is our first BeerAdvocate review on a beer, though we've had 90+ on our podcast together. Here it goes...
Look: Reminiscent of Vera. I mean, it's a Cream Ale, what do you want us to say? Golden color, looks like apple juice.
Smell: Paige says Lemon Pledge, cleaning solution, and ammonia in a bucket, but I actually really enjoy the aroma. I can still smell the pistachio notes and the lemon adds a nice twist, almost like you poured a bowl of pistachios and zested a lemon over it.
Taste: A bad time. Not quite what we were anticipating. We expected a little more from ATB, especially after trying Vera and Vixen. The lemon definitely stands out and ends up being a little harsh and abrasive. It sort of hides the creamy pistachio notes we got from Vera and takes over at the forefront. It definitely sticks around, and you're left with a lemony aftertaste. Not horrible, but not great.
Feel: Again, it's a cream ale. If you've had Vera or Vixen, this won't be much different. It's satisfying, very smooth, and not too harsh. We just can't get past that lemon.
Paige: Nothing impressive. I expected more from Around the Bend. Drinking this is like drinking cleaning solution. There are hints of pistachio that call back to Vera, then I'm left questioning why we added Lemon Pledge into the mix. My co-host is more generous with his reviews than I am, but I would say go back to your roots.
Zach: We've had Vera. We've had Vixen. I was blown away by Vera, and Vixen was a nice surprise. When I saw this in the store, I absolutely had to get it. We had no idea ATB released another version of their popular pistachio cream ale. The taste is still there, but you get an almost abrasive sour lemon edge that doesn't quite meld with the creamyness of the beer and the flavor of the pistachio. While the aroma is pleasant, I don't think the lemon quite fits as well as the cinnamon did with Vixen and this definitely doesn't top the original pistachio cream ale. Though it's interesting, I was left a little disappointed. I think I'll just stick with the tried and true Vera that I adore so much.
Jun 18, 2022Look: Reminiscent of Vera. I mean, it's a Cream Ale, what do you want us to say? Golden color, looks like apple juice.
Smell: Paige says Lemon Pledge, cleaning solution, and ammonia in a bucket, but I actually really enjoy the aroma. I can still smell the pistachio notes and the lemon adds a nice twist, almost like you poured a bowl of pistachios and zested a lemon over it.
Taste: A bad time. Not quite what we were anticipating. We expected a little more from ATB, especially after trying Vera and Vixen. The lemon definitely stands out and ends up being a little harsh and abrasive. It sort of hides the creamy pistachio notes we got from Vera and takes over at the forefront. It definitely sticks around, and you're left with a lemony aftertaste. Not horrible, but not great.
Feel: Again, it's a cream ale. If you've had Vera or Vixen, this won't be much different. It's satisfying, very smooth, and not too harsh. We just can't get past that lemon.
Paige: Nothing impressive. I expected more from Around the Bend. Drinking this is like drinking cleaning solution. There are hints of pistachio that call back to Vera, then I'm left questioning why we added Lemon Pledge into the mix. My co-host is more generous with his reviews than I am, but I would say go back to your roots.
Zach: We've had Vera. We've had Vixen. I was blown away by Vera, and Vixen was a nice surprise. When I saw this in the store, I absolutely had to get it. We had no idea ATB released another version of their popular pistachio cream ale. The taste is still there, but you get an almost abrasive sour lemon edge that doesn't quite meld with the creamyness of the beer and the flavor of the pistachio. While the aroma is pleasant, I don't think the lemon quite fits as well as the cinnamon did with Vixen and this definitely doesn't top the original pistachio cream ale. Though it's interesting, I was left a little disappointed. I think I'll just stick with the tried and true Vera that I adore so much.
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