Judge’s Review: 94 Rating – Prickly Pear Hef by Garage Brewing Co.

Fruit Beer | Seasonal | United States

By Nelson Crowle

Judges Rating: 94
Aroma: 22
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 39
Mouthfeel: 8
Overall Impression: 19

Prickly Pear Hef by Garage Brewing Co. was evaluated as a BJCP 2021 Fruit Beer (29A) with the base style of American Wheat (1D).  
The serving steward reported that the bottle had a low fill (2.5 inches of air space) before being opened. The beer pours with a large poofy white head of tiny bubbles that fairly quickly fades to a thin layer of bubbles topping a slightly hazy gold liquid. The first whiff of the beer is very perfumy, like lavender and lilac, followed by a big dose of bread dough and bread crust.  
The flavor also shows a huge perfumy lavender note with moderate grainy bread crust wheat character. The prickly pear came through with big notes of very ripe strawberry and fresh asparagus (in a good way). Hops in the aroma and flavor are mostly floral with hints of lemon. There is a moderate hop bitterness that nicely balances a malty sweetness that lingers into a very perfumy semi-dry finish.  
Initially, the perfumy notes dominated but as the beer warmed, the bready and grainy notes really harmonized with the fruity perfumy character, making this a very pleasant and refreshing beer. With the big strawberry-like fruity and herbal perfumy character, this would pair nicely with chicken in a cream sauce with sautéed mushrooms and steamed asparagus.