Apricot Sour - Avery Brewing

The Eleventh Beer of Christmas 2018 is Apricot Sour from Avery Brewing in Boulder, Colorado.

Summary

• Appearance: Hazy apricot color, almost a light burnt orange. Head of pale apricot bubbles.
• Aroma: Tart apricot, amaretto, champagne
• Taste: Apricot, amaretto sour, semi-sweet finish
• Feel: Nice tingle of carbonation, medium body

Stats

• Location: Boulder, Colorado
• Website: https://www.averybrewing.com
• Fruit: Apricot
• Style: Sour Beer
• Alcohol Content: 7.3%

Strawberry Rhubarb - Great Divide Brewing

The Fifth Beer of Christmas is Strawberry Rhubarb from Great Divide Brewing in Denver, Colorado.

I was skeptical about this one. Rhubarb, really? But Great Divide made me a believer.

Summary

• Appearance: Coppery color with fine, white foam
• Aroma: Sweet malt, yeast, strawberries and something else that I assume must be rhubarb
• Taste: Sweet, tart, strawberry, and something else that I assume must be rhubarb
• Feel: Medium body, sharp carbonation, dry finish 

Stats

• Brewer: Great Divide Brewing Company
• Location: Denver, Colorado
• Website: http://greatdivide.com/
• Fruit: Strawberry Rhubarb
• Style: Sour Ale
• Alcohol Content: 6.2%

Tangerine Express IPA - Stone Brewing

The Third Beer of Christmas 2018 is Tangerine Express IPA from Stone Brewing in Escondido, California.

Summary

• Appearance: Coppery yellow with a big head of white bubbles
• Aroma: Citrus, hops, and tangerine
• Taste: An assertive IPA with clementine rind
• Feel: Medium body, medium carbonation

Stats

• Brewer: Stone Brewing
• Location: Escondido, California
• Website: https://www.stonebrewing.com/
• Fruit: Tangerine
• Style: India Pale Ale
• Alcohol Content: 6.7%

Raspberry AF - Saint Arnold Brewing

The Second Beer of Christmas 2018 is Raspberry AF from Saint Arnold Brewing.

Summary

• Appearance: Cherry 7-Up color with light pink foam, a little hazy
• Aroma: Lightly sour, fruity
• Taste: Tart, a touch of acid, raspberries
• Feel: Light body, crisp carbonation, refreshing

Stats

• Brewer: Saint Arnold Brewing
• Location:  Houston, Texas
• Website: https://www.saintarnold.com/
• Fruit: Raspberry
• Style: Berliner Weisse
• Alcohol Content: 3.6%

Epic Brewing Co. - Brainless Raspberries

For the Seventh Beer of Christmas (New Year's Eve!,) I found a great replacement for that flute of champagne you're considering.

Epic Brewing
Brainless Raspberries

I have never been a fan of champagne. I know, some of you will think that's crazy but that's just me. On New Year's I will typically drink the obligatory flute of champagne, but I think tonight I'll simple fill that glass with another serving of Brainless Raspberries. It's a tart, sweet, and fruity bubblicious brew that would be at home in a pint glass or champagne flute.

The glass looked like a dark, fizzy glass of Cherry 7-Up as I pour out of the 12 ounce can. A loose cluster of large bubbles formed on the top of the beer, but quickly dissipated. In fact, it was gone by the time I finished taking my pictures. However, like champagne, it continued to bubble and fizz a bit as I drank to the bottom of the glass.

The predominant smell is, of course, raspberries. It reminds me a bit of a lightly sweetened compote: mostly tart but a bit of sweet. Yeast bread dough comes through, too.

Raspberries are the taste. It starts out sweet and finishes tart. There's also a big bubblegum flavor. It makes me think of Hubba Bubba from back when I was in high school and I chewed bubble gum all the time. The flavor rounds out with a bit of yeast, vanilla, and orange rind. I found it interesting that the flavor overrode and hid the high alcohol content. I barely noticed the 9.7% ABV.

The mouthfeel is interesting. This is when the champagne replacement hit me. After each drink, there was a refreshing wash of carbonation throughout my whole mouth leaving a lightly astringent sensation.

Fruit beers are a nice change of pace once in a while, but they'll never be my go-to beer. However, I could see myself going back to this one now and then to break up my typical porter/stout line-up.

Stats
Brewer: Epic Brewing Company
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Website: http://www.EpicBrewing.com/
Style: Fruit / Vegetable Beer
Alcohol Content: 9.70% ABV
Interesting Note: Founders David Cole and Peter Erickson started business together in 1992 as an aquaculture company. When Utah's beer laws became more relaxed in 2008, the pair started a craft brewery.