Abraxxxas - Apple
Freigeist Bierkultur

500ml bottle into a tall glass. Couldn't find any freshness dating.

Looks very good in the glass. Slightly hazy orange/amber body. Big white head persists in good form throughout leaving very interesting lacing.

Aroma is subdued, musty fruit and a light smoke.

On tasting, well, it's the nose amplified. Clean crisp apple notes, like a cider with some muscle and depth. The smoke is very apparent, but doesn't overwhelm the drink. Well put together.

Mouth medium. On the finish, after the smoke has moved through, there is a little tartness. Nice.

Overall, enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. Well brewed and thought out. Have the pear version in the fridge, next up.

 

i have been eyeing this one up for awhile and finally had to jump in, its such a neat beer, although not all that apple forward, the base beer certainly retains its identity in this one. a lightly cloudy pale amber color to this, thin looking from the bottle and the head rises and falls pretty quick. the smoke aroma is strong but also unique, more fruity and less earthy and intense, no bitterness at all from it, and some sweetness in the malt base to balance, pretty complex on its own, especially with this now familiar yeast they use, a little bandaid character to it all, medicinal in a good way like that, slightly funky, rustic, and weird, even salty at times, but i dig it. the apple does make a neat contribution, a half cider sort of complexion, no real sweetness, light cider vinegar too, and a real autumnal vibe. i think a lot of the sugar from the fruit has been fermented out, but some tang from the skins remains, and its a cool compliment to the smoke profile. hints of wet wood and mulch, black tea and apple cider, and wet leather and toasted bread all come out of this. more carbonation in suspension than it looks like there is, a long drawn out smoked finish, and a lighter body for all this flavor. pretty cool beer and an excellent pairing with a traditional german bratwurst. i love freigeist, nobody else making beer like this at all!

 

Looks more like a cider with no real head or retention. Nose more like ale, but taste has that apple with grain presence. Crisp carbonation with fruity finish.

Pours a dark gold/amber coloration with a medium, creamy head. Smell is dominated by smoke, with lighter notes of apple, and lemon zest. Taste is a good, but somewhat understated balance of smoke, sourness and fruitiness, with some light, bready, grainy malt coming through as well. Notes of smoke, green apple and lemon zest, with a light mineral note as well. Finishes with a very light bitterness and some smoke lingering in the aftertaste. Kinda thin mouthfeel with a light/medium body and medium/lively carbonation.

Had high hopes for this and was a little disappointed, to be honest. The smokiness/sourness/fruitiness is nicely balanced, but none of it really leaves a distinct impression, being somewhat too subtle and the body/mouthfeel feeling somewhat watery as well. It's nice enough, but lacks character. The Monarchy's Methusalem pulls this style off a LOT better in my opinion.

 

 

 

Bottle shared thanks to kermis. Hazy orange pour with a thin white head. Smoke, bacon, light macerated fruit, wheat, lemon zest. Medium body, medium carbonation and a bitter-sweet aftertaste.

 

Hazy golden color, white head. Aroma is mostly smokey with some fruit acidity. Taste follows, mostly smokey, just a hint of fermented apples in the background. Light bodied, easy drinking but it lacks a bit of complexity.

 

 

 

 

 

500ml split pre-Dark Horse b-day celebration. Always considered the original a unique and enjoyable beer, interested to see what apples do for the mix.

A - Hazy palish orange with some light floaty flex and about a finger of white head. A thin ring and patchy cap remain at the end.

S - Apple, bread, lemongrass, some white grape and yeast. Kinda faint on the whole, nothing as far as smoke goes and just a hint of tart.

T - A bit more tartness here, apple and white grape flavors are prevalent, there is a bit of wheaty yeast twang. And that's kinda it, really lacking here in sour berliner and smokiness, and kinda lacking besides that overall.

M - Good body overall, highish carbonation is foamy and crisp, pretty easy-drinking. Just wish there was more going on.

O - The regular Abraxxxas always was stellar and unique as that odd beer that smoked a berliner weisse and made it work surprisingly well, unfortunately that beer is barely recognizable here. This is just kind of a plain-ish apple wheat ale of sorts with some light tartness, one that doesn't even particularly impart interesting/potent apple flavors. Fairly pleasant but quite disappointing.