Februrary Beer Tasting: Blueberry Ale & Apricot Wheat Ale

This month, I forgot to post earlier when I sampled some of Ithca Beer Co.'s Apricot Wheat ale. I also had a bottle of Blue Point Brewing Company's Blueberry Ale. I'll start with the Blueberry Ale.

When you open up the bottle, it has a strong scent of blueberries. The color is a nice golden hue and it doesn't have gobs of foam to it when you pour it out. (Which I prefer over really foamy brews, it seems.) I tried a sip of it warm and it was ok. I then chilled it, which was superior to the warm sip.

The first thing that hits you when you sip this is the flavor of fresh blueberries. I was surprised by how well they captured that. It was totally unexpected. The blueberry flavor then melted into the crisp, clean tones of the ale proper. As far as ales go, I can't say that this is my new favorite but I would be willing to drink this with out giving the person handing it to me a funny look. I had it with hamburgers and it went surprisingly well. The suggestion of fruit was balanced well with the fresh veggies that I put on my burger.

The apricot wheat ale is definitely one I would have again. I had a sip of it warm and it was pretty good. Cold, it was almost as good as the Lambic that I first had. (I haven't found anything that has supplanted Lambic Peche yet. That stuff is fantastic!) Another light colored ale, I found it had a bright flavor.

The apricot was one of the after notes. While it wasn't the same as biting into a fresh apricot, it was still pleasantly potent. I had this by itself, so I would be at a loss for ideas as to what it would be good paired with. Given the fruit elements, I would probably have it with something else that helps play that up. That final hit of sweetness after the sharpness of the other flavors is really delightful.