Aprihop

Now now, before all you hop heads throw a fit over the brand and the name, let me make a case for this beer.  I've never been the hugest Dogfishead fan.  Some of you may be shocked, but I have two very good reasons.  1. Price.  They charge the same or more for a 4 pack that you'd pay for an expensive 6 pack.  2. They make incredibly interesting beverages, but I'm not always sure you classify them all as beer.  For example, to classify the Palo Santo as a porter does disservice to both the beer in question and the category of porters.  I think Dogfish makes some very interesting drinks though, and their 'beer,' is always worth trying.  So that being said, let's delve into this timely named Aprihop that I'm drinking in the month of April.

Not an incredible amount of head, smell is of citrusy dry hopping and strong apricots.  After a statement like that I'm sure there's cause for concern that this could end up being some sort of over sweetened travesty, tasting of syrupy fruit flavor like a framboise lambic.  But actually this beer surprises both in its maintaining of flavor and deliciousness.

The brew does a great job balancing the sweetness of the apricot flavor, which tastes like a real apricot, rather than some artificialness, with the strong alpha bitter hops.  It opens with hop flavor that quickly gives way to the light carbonation, but from there widens out into a great balance of hops, apricot and grains.  The apricot flavor meshes surprisingly well with the woody hop oils, leaving a slightly perfume-like bitter mix, neither overwhelming, nor absent.  The color is slightly more amber than you'd expect on this IPA, and the body is fairly light.

You'll want to drink this beer cold because as it starts to head towards room temperature the sweet flavors become overwhelming.  The lightness of the body and the sweet tones make this a great beer for hot days that is immensely drinkable, yet at 7% still packs enough alcohol to keep you satisfied that you're drinking a beer.

Aprihop: ****