Bright Tangerine Sparkling Ale

Bright Tangerine Sparkling Ale by Devils Backbone Brewing Co. is a blonde ale brewed with tangerines. It was judged as a Fruit Beer (BJCP sub-style 29A). It poured mostly clear and golden into the glass where it set up with a thin white quickly dissipating head. Its aroma was dominated by tangerine and a pronounced sweetness up front followed by a lesser citrus tartness, with no other secondary aromas, including basic beer notes from malts and hops, evident. The initial and lasting flavor too was dominated by the tangerine, easily distinguished from oranges and similar citrus fruits, with hops presumably used for bittering only rather than flavor. The mouthfeel included a fuller body than found in most fruit beers, modest carbonation especially for a sparkling ale, no noticeable alcohol strength, and a fruity sweetness in the finish which bordered on cloying for lack of balance from citric tartness and/or hops. The body and carbonation and finish detracted from an expectation of high drinkability based on the label description. This reviewer is left to wonder how much the choice of tangerine as the dominant or sole fruit in this brew, combined with the absence of typical brewing flavors from various hops and malts, might restrict its appeal to many beer drinkers seeking more balance in their beer than was evident here.