Wednesday, May 9, 2012

"Beerini" - Wolaver's Wildflower Wheat, Peaches, & Raspberries (Mixed Drink)

On Friday, May 4, Red Square teamed up with Otter Creek and brewmaster Mike Gerhart for a mixed cocktail event exemplifying various cocktail creations and Otter Creek/ Wolaver's beers. I started out by sampling the lightest one offered, a Beerini. Although the name suggests a martini-like cocktail, the Beerini is a very light, fruity, and refreshing blend.

Price: $2.75/ Half; $5.50/ Full

To recreate this beverage on your own, mix any base American Wheat beer with approximately 1-2 tablespoons of peach puree syrup and top off with 1-2 fresh raspberries or to taste.

Aroma: As the name suggests, this one starts out floral and sweet from the addition of chamomile flowers and peaches. Hops are overridden by the extended adjuncts of peaches and raspberries (although you won't smell the whole raspberries since they are added after the pour). Some citric or citrus aromas stem mostly from the peaches but perhaps from wheat malt as well. Strong carbonation scrubbing effect on the inside of the nose - you will find this when sniffing sodas like sprite.
Appearance: Very large, thick, 2-finger tangerine-colored head embellished with chunks of peach puree flakes. The peach chunks float mostly around the rim and within the head of the glass, succumbing to gravity and dispersing throughout the beer as the session progressed. This stuff ended up being everywhere, sticking to the glass and adding to the already hazy base style. Color was golden with some orange hues. Served with one raspberry, which maintained well hidden in the thick, long lasting head.
Flavor: Very forward peach presence and creamsicle flavors. I surprisingly get a lot of coconut, like drinking a beer mixed with coconut milk. The coconut milk is similar in mouthfeel as well - a bit water. Mild bitterness is just enough to balance the malts while the peachy sweetness gains momentum and takes over in the end. Some fruitiness may be due to the yeast character as well, but this is hard to determine until I try the Wildfire Wheat by itself. Raspberry flavors add complexity towards the bottom of the glass as the raspberry had more time to settle. The best sip is the very last one when I ate the raspberry (if you can resist the temptation of eating it sooner).
Mouthfeel: Chunks of peach puree roll over the tongue with each sip, sometimes creating a chewy mouthfeel or sneaking by in smaller amounts. This doesn't deter from or add any viscosity to the beer and maintained a lightly-bodied, easy flowing texture. Very smooth finish and quite pleasant. Balanced a little more towards sweetness but no doubt due to the additional adjuncts. Just enough carbonation which may have been affected by the peach puree. A bit more carbonation may help scrub the semi-sweet peachy aftertaste.
Overall Impression: This one gears more towards women drinkers but that doesn't mean an interested palate like myself can't have one also. Keep this in mind for your next beer tasting event or spring it upon that friend of yours who says they don't like beer - because that's impossible, they probably just haven't had one they liked yet.

1 comment:

  1. When are you going to serve me up one of these?

    ReplyDelete