Tiki Tom Slushie Series: Beermosa by Badger State Brewing Co. is being evaluated as a Fruit Beer (2015 BJCP Style Guidelines Category 29A) with the considerations of the base style being a Berliner weisse featuring orange.

The aroma of this beer is bright and fruit-forward, featuring orange heavily. The acidity present changes the aroma to be more representative of tangerine with some light red grapefruit notes as well. There are appropriately no hops in the aroma and no presence of Brettanomyces. The appearance ironically is pretty close to orange juice – a deep blonde beer featuring thick haze and an orange hue. There is a medium-sized, dense, off-white head that persists very well for the style.

The flavor features a strong presence of orange and tangerine that adds a lot of residual sweetness and cuts the acidity, which is a hallmark of the base style. The residual sweetness also adds a lot of body, which is not ideal for Berliner weisse. There is no hop bitterness present to balance the overwhelming sweetness.

This “smoothie sour” type of beer is something that has been extremely popular with craft brewers for the last several years but frankly has more in common with soda than with beer. This particular beer actually has a remarkably similar flavor profile to the soda Club Orange, which is found in Ireland and the company markets as being made with “real orange bits”. A true Berliner-style weisse would have much more emphasis on lactic acidity and a very dry finish. This beer tilts its balance completely towards orange and fructose. If you're looking for a refreshing, delicious beverage that highlights fresh orange flavor – this is worth seeking out. Be forewarned - you may end up asking yourself the question: “Is this really beer?”