Beer Review: Dry Dock’s Apricot Blonde

Apricot Blonde, Dry Dock Brewing Company, Aurora

Style: Blonde Ale

ABV: 5.1 percent

Serving Type: 1-pint, 6-ounce bottle

Malty? Hoppy? Neither, really. Let’s just say it is fruity.

Reviewed: September 2012

Beer enthusiasts, including me, like to make generalized statements about their beer preferences. Here’s one of my favorite sentences to utter about brews: I like my beer and fruit separate. But, like most generalized sentiments, this one should be ignored at times. I’ll make an exception for Dry Dock’s homage to all-things-apricot (after all, this beer was featured in our 2011 A Beer for All Seasons).

From first sniff to the last drop, this brew is all about the fruit. Made with an apricot puree, the initial smell is reminiscent of a push-pop treat. It pours a gentle, soft head that resembles melted soft-serve ice cream. But just when I’m about to give up on this brew as too sweet, the taste hits with bitter and malty tones.

I would like a little more flavor, but I also realize that would involve more apricots and make me leery of the brewmaster’s skills (…or lead to a craving for fruit pie). Instead, I appreciate the brewer’s restraint. That compromise reminds me of jam making, another precise kitchen experiment that balances fruit and saccharine perfectly.

My biggest complaint is the buxom blonde on the label. Is that really necessary? I could use a little less sexism with my beer, especially when Dry Dock’s worked so hard to perfect the nuances on this brew.

Would we buy it again? Not an everyday beer, but definitely an every-once-in-awhile one.