Tag: watermelon

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Two Reviews of Two Towns Ciders

I might break my record for cider talk in a month. Due to Two Towns Cider House sending me a care package of two of their new ciders on the market…

I started with the Hop & Stalk which is cider that has Citra hops and rhubarb added to the mix.

H&S pours a hazy dark yellow with a green apple aroma to it. Flavorwise this is a three way battle between rhubarb, green apple and the imperialized 8.2% ABV.

It is initially sharp and carbonated on the tongue. The rhubarb lurks between the brighter notes of the apple and also adds that extra oomph to take this from just boozy to complex. On the negative side, I did not detect any Citra hop aroma or bitterness.

Prickle Me Pink is more red when poured into the glass. This cider tastes like a cocktail made with a watermelon wheat beer. It isn’t syrupy sweet but it has a candy flavor for sure. It is a pretty red Kool-aid color but that is about it for the plus column. The Nopal is a distant taste and the cider aspect is bludgeoned by the watermelon which leaves the balance out of whack.

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Heavier than Juice

New-Belgium-Heavy-Melon-Watermelon-Lime-Ale
I am wondering if breweries are too close to Farmer’s Markets. Every other beer has some sort of fruit or vegetable in it. Now we have New Belgium adding to the craze with Heavy Melon Watermelon Lime Ale that has “a splash of fresh watermelon and a touch of lime…”. Sounds tasty for a smoothie but I do not know how it will translate into beer form. The new beer will be a 12 ounce bottle and can offering.

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Featured Review – Hell or High Watermelon from21st Amendment

Now this is a divisive beer. Some think it is too sweet and others (like me) could drink it by the gallon. I first encountered this beer, long, long ago at the Oregon Brewers Festival and was smitten.

But now that it is newly arrived in LA, it is time to re-evaluate the Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment.

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The wheat ale pours a medium dark yellow out of the can.  There is an immediated whiff of watermelon.  Not the fakey Jolly Rancher kind (though some people feel it is).  To me, it is more watermelon juice.  Divorced from the normal sensation of how we normally eat watermelon.  So it throws people’s tastebuds off.  But for me the balance is spot on.

It is very refreshing.  The watermelon flavor is there and strong but nor cloying and overpowering.  A true summer in LA type of beer.