Some time ago (a few years back actually) I sat down and drank a couple of apricot beers, back to back. I like to compare similar beers that way, and it’s really the best way to judge one against each other rather than relying on the vagaries of memory alone. The two beers I compared at the time were Magic Hat #9 and Pyramid Apricot Ale .

I haven’t seen the Pyramid version in a while, and it’s been a year since I had a Magic Hat #9. Still, the latter sticks out in my memory rather vividly, being the distinctive brew that it is. I do enjoy fruit beers, and I think apricot works well as a spice in beer. And of course, the beer I’m drinking tonight, Sea Dog Apricot Wheat Beer, has a lot in common with #9.

After all, both are brewed with the idiosyncratic Ringwood yeast strain, and both feature a very distinctive fruit. Sea Dog’s version is no doubt meant to ape the success of its fellow New England brew #9.

Sea Dog says that its Apricot Wheat is brewed with fresh apricots, and has a 4.6% alcohol content by volume. This will not be a seasonal, but rather a year round treat to be enjoyed by beer lovers near and far. I’m quite grateful they sent some down here to Georgia.

Sea Dog Apricot Wheat pours to a bright golden color with a tinge of orange. A respectable fizzy head of large bubbles quickly forms atop the brew, then just as quickly fades away. Sniffing the beer reveals a very fruity nose indeed.

Taking a sip, I get a lot of fruit flavor. This beer screams apricot, and it dominates the moderate, biscuity malt body of the beer. There’s just enough malt to give decent body and serve as a stage for the fresh fruit flavor to dance upon. The beer finishes remarkably balanced, and isn’t at all sweet in the finish to my taste.

Interestingly enough, although this is a Ringwood ale brewed by Shipyard in Portland, Maine, the usual buttery Ringwood ale character only makes a brief appearance in the finish. Overall, I very much like this beer. Not as much as Magic Hat’s #9, where the fruit is a bit more restrained. But this is a beautiful little warm weather refresher, brewed in Maine but perfect for a hot as Hades Georgia summer.

Those who eschew fruit beers altogether, however, will not enjoy this at all.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 



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