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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Apple Beer

I don't drink a whole lot of beer, given my position in the Weird Soda Lab. Beer is a strange beverage, full of it's own complexities, and with rituals and customs of its own. While I do enjoy it, it's not my specialty. Here, though, we have what appears to be a crossover; a non-alcoholic fruit which claims affiliation as a beer. I'm not sure what the basis for that affiliation is, whether it is brewed or prepared like a beer, or what. The brand seems to be the same as the name: "Apple Beer".
Well, on with the quaffing!

Where and when: purchased 3/12/09 at BevMo, Escondido, CA
Color: light golden brown, like a lightly toasted marshmallow
Scent: mild, light appleish scent.
Taste: very light. Tart apple juice with strong carbonation. Quite tart. There is only the slightest hint of bitterness as you would find in beer; it's much more like sparkling cider than beer. It's nice. The aftertaste has a bit more of the bitterness. It's worth noting that this isn't the bitterness of apple peel-it's beerier than that. Produces a small head when poured; this may be the basis of the beer kinship. As it warms up, the bitterness becomes slightly more prominent, as does the tartness of the cider.

Quaff rating: 3 and a half. Pleasant, and would probably be refreshing on a hot day.
Cough rating: 0.5. Only the tiny bitterness could be a problem.

4 comments:

  1. i love apple beer! its probably my favorite drink! so f-ing refreshing

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  2. my first experience with apple beer goes back to 1966(approx, at age 6) had it at Squaw Valley ski resort.
    at that time it was the ONLY place I knew that carried it. have not seen it since '69-70.
    it was in a can,that looked alot like today's Heineken. I loved the stuff back then and it was the higlight of my family's Ski trips to Squaw Valley. would love to fnd some now!

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  3. The discovery of Apple Beer was during my first trip to California, 1969. I took a cross country train trip with a cousin in the middle of winter, so arriving in sunny California was a treat all its own, but I was in for another treat, an unexpected one. We were out cruising one day and stopped in a convenience store and that's where I discovered the tart and tasty drink. I was hooked and drank quite a few before we had to leave and return to the cold country of Illinois. It was years since I had enjoyed the brew and after moving to Florida and remembering Apple Beer, I searched for it locally and failed, but came across something similar and it was ok. It wasn't Apple Beer so I went online and had to order some. It was expensive, but it was nice to experience it once again. I am currently visiting Phoenix and it isn't here either. That's a bummer! I wish more retailers would stock it because I think it would be a good seller.

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  4. I had Apple Beer as a kid in the 60s, and I loved it. Only one place in town (which we rarely went near) carried it so it's safe to say I haven't had it in 45 years, until I bought a case of cans on line. It's good soda pop but IMO it's not the same stuff I had as a kid. Back then it had more of a yeastiness to it, like draft root beer. And I'm quite sure it was made with cane sugar rather than fructose. It's good but just not quite the experience I expected. It's not in quite the same league as some other pricey sodas I've had like Jones, IBC, etc. I don't know if I'll miss it when it's gone and have to order more. I don't think I'd be interested in the diet version, but I'm diabetic and have to restrict my intake of full sugar soda so the case I have will last a while. Still, disappointed that it appears to be a mass produced soda with fructose and syrup rather than an actual brew. The internet has allowed me to find and re-experience many fond childhood memories, but in this case, it came up a little short.

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