Blender - Apricot
New Park Brewing

 

Pours a hazy apricot color, very thick and viscous, like apricot nectar. Has a nice apricot aroma. Flavor is light apricot, not as prevalent as I had expected. Tart and tangy, moderate sweetness. Texture and body indicate there is a lot of fruit jammed into it. Overall I am glad I tried it, and glad I only bought 1 four pack.

8/4/20
16 oz can dated 7/1/20 - thanks Adam!
4.25 rating

Drank from a 1 pint can purchased at New Park Brewing, West Hartford, CT
Canned on 1/22/20
Served in a Rastal Harmony stemless beer glass

Big thanks to my sister Vanessa for grabbing us a few cans of this.

The cloudy, peachy hued body was topped by a small, finely bubbled, cream colored crown that quickly fizzled away. There was no lacing whatsoever.

The aroma was pretty subtle initially. Touch of apricot nectar perhaps. Possibly some peach. I had a really difficult time getting anything from this. As the beer warmed, the apricot intensified. Bit of tart wheatiness as well.

The flavor profile was punchier than the nose but also somewhat subdued. Again, apricot was most prevalent. Touch of peach too. Moderately sweet. A bit soda like. Slightly tart and wheaty in the center. The tartness intensified on the finish.

Spritzy, lighter bodied mouthfeel. The liquid contained a finer bubbled, fairly zippy carbonation. Again, a soft drink came to mind.

New Park’s Blender beers can be hit or miss, and this variant was definitely more of a miss. Apricot usually comes across as a subtle flavor accent, but it was especially mellow here. Of all the blended fruit offerings in this series, I have no clue as to why they went with apricot alone in this one.

L - apparently this is the most fruit they've ever put in a Blender. I worry it's because apricot isn't a terribly potent fruit, so they need more to get the same effect. Let's see. Pours a hazy IPA oran- oh wait, well, I mean that's what it looks like. Minimal yellowy head with big-ish bubbles.

S - smells vaguely of apricots and lemon biscuits. Apricot isn't a terribly aromatic fruit, so there's not a whole lot to blow your doors off here. As it warms, the uniquely sweet apricot starts to flood in some more.

T - definitely on the tart side for a Blender. Strong sea salt presence and puckering lemon twang. It does taste like apricot, but doesn't pop as I'd hoped. Oh well, apricot isn't a terribly flavorful fruit, so this is to be expected. I tell you what though, it does FEEL jam-packed (literally, heh) with a nice underlying marmalade sweetness. Finish is dry, bitter, and tart. Leaves that feeling in the back of your throat.

F - silky and even a bit syrupy. Was hoping for more puree juiciness, but it's fine because apricot isn't a terribly fulfilling fruit. It will never compare to the likes of biting into a fresh peach, but we are supposed to be talking about the beer, so... yes, it does what most Blenders do and delivers more heft than most sours and berliners. Nice job.

O - it does look like my initial impressions are accurate in that since apricot isn't a terribly prominent fruit, we did need more to get the same Blender punch. Not a bad thing, though, since it manages to satisfy that aching yearning for handfuls over handfuls of apricots continually stuffed down your throat. I know we've all been there.

 

 

 

 

 

One of the best sours I’ve had! Outstanding