Stoutmeister here. With Shilling, our new member, Derek, and another friend in tow, the Crew took up Broken Bottle on its recent invite to stop by and sample their new seasonal before it was released to the general public.

So yeah, we were invited to drink beer. How in the world could we say no?

The seasonal in this case is the 12 Step Apricot Ale, which sounded intriguing to us even if it is not in our usual list of must-try beers. But oh, how a beer can deceive you. It’s not how it sounds, but how it tastes that matters.

And our verdict on this new ale? Delicious.

Donovan provided us each with a free 10-ounce sample of a beer that certainly looked like it was made from apricots. A bright, yellowish-orange in color, it had a mild aroma and a thickness that comes from the white wheat that serves as one of its other primary ingredients. Now I will be the first to admit I am not a wheat beer guy. I left all the wheats in Durango/Farmington to E-Rock. But in this case I was willing to give it a shot.

Thank the beer gods I did, because this beer was wonderful. If summer can be concentrated into a single flavor, this was it. There is no sour here, just a sweet (but not too sweet) flavor that greets you, with a cool, crisp finish. It’s a beer that looks thick but does not feel thick, just smooth and refreshing.

Donovan said they only brewed a small batch, which goes on sale to the rest of the beer-loving world on Friday. So get over there as fast as you can!

But who am I to hog the comments section alone? Here are the other guys’ thoughts.

Shilling: So I have to admit, I thought this was going to be a sour beer, and it wasn’t. Most wheats have that honey or citrus flavor and this doesn’t. Its sweet, crisp, and light but I have a feeling this bad boy will be a creeper. I’m very excited to see the response from the public. Killer job dudes!

Derek: The best part of the beer for me was the crisp taste. Every sip was a smooth white wheat flavor. Then, as it settles on your palate, you get a back-rush of fresh apricots that stays with you. It’s a really tasty summer beer and I’m looking forward to my next pint.

That’s all from us. We’ll be back shortly with more beer news and reviews. Now come on monsoons and cool us all off! (just don’t delay the Topes game too long, OK?)

Cheers!

— Stoutmeister