Middle Ages Apricot Ale

Brewed by Middle Ages Brewing
Style: Fruit Beer
Syracuse, New York USA

Slightly hazy light golden color, with a substantial white head. Aroma is pretty faint, some fruity tartness is it. Flavor is bursting with apricots. A touch of grassy hops in the finish cleans up the finish. A respectable fruit beer.

AKA Dinosaur Ape Hanger Ale, a house brew at the legendary Dionsaur Bar-B-Que of Syracuse, NY. Ape Hanger Ale is a fantastic beer to match with a number of styles of BBQ available on the Dinosaur menu. I went with a lunch of Tres Hombres which was BBQ pulled pork, ribs, and beef brisket, and Ape Hanger went extremely well with all three styles of BBQ. You will only find this beer on draught at the Dinosaur, with an occasional appearance at the Blue Tusk as well. Ape Hanger has lots of good malty, fruity, and hoppy character that works well with the tangy, spicy, smoky flavors of BBQ. Ape Hanger Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, deep golden to light amber color with a bubbly white head that fades, and a good bit of carbonation. The nose on this beer is very inviting, with aromas of hop, estery fruit, hints of sweet malt, and light earthy yeast aroma. The body is crisp on the palate, with good biscuit malt flavors, paired with a wonderful, fruity, apricot flavor. Ape Hanger finishes with more apricot flavor up front then ends with a nice hop bitterness that balances out the malt and fruit character of this beer. This is an excellent beer with good malt, fruit, and hop aromas and flavors. It is a great beer to match with BBQ, and one that you must try when you visit Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. The apricot fruit flavor in this beer is very distinct, which leaves no doubt that this beer is actually Middle Ages Apricot Ale which is brewed with apricots. It is a common practice for a restaurant to serve a local brewery’s beer as a "house beer" with their own label and name, and I believe this is the case with Ape Hanger Ale. It is not surprising as Syracuse Pale Ale was on tap at the Dinosaur as well, as I am sure a number of other Middle Ages beers make it into the rotation. Call it what you will, this is a great beer from a great Syracuse brewery, served up at a great Syracuse BBQ joint. If in Syracuse, a pint of Ape Hanger and a meal at the Dinosaur is a must.

[bottle - 12 oz] Clear orange pour with a fizzy and soapy white head. Very mild and sweet aroma of apricots and not much else. The flavor begins very bitter and hoppy but then transforms into the slightest hint of apricots with a bitter, hoppy and floral finish. The apricots linger for a bit and then disappear under the hops. Not as overpowering as other fruit beers. A nice change of pace.

Clear orange/gold color with white soapy head. Nice lacing. Nice mild apricot aroma. Flavor is like a nice english pale ale with apricot hints. Smoot, refreshing and different. I liked it.

THere was definite apricot in the aroma but I just didn’t really taste any. The beer tasted like a standard wheat beer with some fruit sweetness in it. A nice light beer for a hot summer evening but I was a little disappointed.

(Bottle) Pours a thin, white, quick-dissipating, frothy head with a lightly carbonated, deep amber body. Nose of strawberries and peaches. Flavour is more peachy to my palate than apricot but none the less this is not that bad. I would definitely be able to drink this on a hot day.

Golden amber color, very slight haze. Aroma of apricots, little else, but that’s not entirely bad. Flavor falls a little flat, mild apricot, touch of tartness. Thinner bodied. Eh, it was okay I guess.

Lightly hazy golden ale with a thick compact bubbled white head. Perfumy apricot aroma, lightly soapish. Fresh grassy malt taste with some of the apricot coming clearly in the finale with the hops, a bit of an oily mouthfeel. Light bodied. Quaffable summer beer.