Great Dane Aprikos Ale

Brewed by Great Dane Pub & Brewery
Style: Fruit Beer
Madison, Wisconsin USA

On draught during Great Taste of Midwest 2009 in Madison, Wisconsin. Pours a semi-hazy golden straw colored brew with a thin white head that slowly dissipates. Aroma of tropical fruit, apricots some golden grain malt and Belgian yeast. Taste is light to medium bodied, slightly sweet with a apricot fruity flavor with golden grain malt. Finish is semi-dry with a tart apricot and coriander aftertaste.

(Draught) Pours a cloudy golden body with a small white head. Aroma of apricot, earth, and caramel. Flavor of apricot, yeast, citrus, caramel, and grass with a moderately bitter finish.

On tap at the downtown Dane. Poured clear peachy-amber with a short-lived cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up soft caramel and fruity notes (didn’t necessarily get apricot) with subtle spicy accents.. quite sweet. The flavor was sweet again with honey, redder fruits, and caramel at the core.. some apricot around, but not a whole lot.. light grassy bitterness accented. Lighter-bodied with a touch of dry fruity yeast leaving the short final impression on the palate.. OK feel, and it was definitely drinkable.

Draft at the downtown location. Poured a hazy yellow/light orange color. the head was thin and white. Smelled somewhat of apricot. Fruity in general. Maybe some orange and spices. Light bodied and tart on the tongue. I tasted some unripe apricot. There also seemed to be some coriander or other spice flavors with a pleasant fresh cereal grain flavor in the finish. Wit beer made with apricot?

Sampled at downtown location during GTMW 2009 weekend. Easy drinking beer with a good apricot backing. Some belgian sugar as well. Nothing overly interesting yet a nice session style. I was satisfied with this.

After everything else we had in house, sampled at Madison Doty as a little aperitif before leaving for dinner reservations. Poured a hazy, orangy straw color with some white foam that reduced very quickly to a ring, and left some clingy streaks and spots of lacing. The aroma gave off a hint of sausagy yeast but the flavor followed up with bright, tart apricot notes that surprised me considering the light appearance. Did the job.

On tap at downtown location
A novel beer that was on tap in the basement cellar, I ordered this to keep the palate fresh before heading out to some of the pre-GTMW parties. It was decent but a bit strange. As usual the Great Dane’s oddball releases are hit or miss; this one is somewhere in the middle.

Aroma / Appearance - Golden yellow and cloudy it has a weird glow. Yeast, apricots, lemons, and fruit make it bright. I think the base is supposed to be a Belgian table style.

Flavor / Palate - Apricot and other light fruits make it easy to drink. Sweet and moist as it travels across the tongue and throat this was mostly average. On the other hand they tried something different and for that they deserve some credit.