ABV: 5.1%

IBU: 11

Since I couldn’t attend GABF this year, I decided to do the second-best thing and write about it. Today I’d like to introduce you to Pyramid Breweries’ Apricot Ale, the 2014 GABF Gold Medal Winner in the Fruit Wheat Beer category.

This was Apricot Ale’s third gold at GABF, following wins in 1994 and 2008. This triple crown is a fitting achievement for a beer and a brewery whose Seattle alehouse is located down the street from Century Link Field, home of the 2014 Super Bowl champions (Pyramid’s outdoor beer garden is open for every Seahawks game).

The beer itself is a delightfully balanced fruit beer, and its drinkability makes it a great fit for a wide range of occasions. Whether you’re looking for the first beer to start your morning tailgate or a brew to pair with dessert at your dinner party, Apricot Ale has you covered.

Apricot Ale pours a hazy orange and leaves a white fizzy head that lasts throughout the entire drink. While both the nose and the taste of the beer display the apricot influence unabashedly, they do so in a way that is composed and delicate. The nose exhibits the sweet scent of ripe apricots and citrus, which is followed by a full apricot taste of the beer that’s flavorful but equalized. Although the primary taste of the beer is indeed its namesake fruit, the influence of the apricot is not too sweet or strong thanks to a maltiness that partners well with the ripe flavors. The apricot taste is followed by a crispness that immediately lowers the intensity of the fruitiness. Thanks to a light and juicy mouthfeel, the beer leaves you feeling quenched and invigorated, ready for the next championship – or, in Pyramid Breweries’ case, Gold Medal – that’s waiting for you.

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