Aprikat - Alley Kat Brewing Company

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

I have a feeling that this stuff has been made and marketed to a demographic that I am not a part of, and am trying to wrap my head around the labeling and concept of a "beer cooler(!)".

Low carbonation, no head on the pour. Is deep golden in colour, practically an apricot/peach hue, which is rather fitting, however it appears more like cider. Nice aroma of apricot on the nose, it's inviting, but perhaps a bit too sweet. Sweet apricot flavour up front, backed up by a bittersweet foundation of wheat grain (too much wheat malt!), which interferes and takes away from the fruit flavour, rather than balancing or complimenting it. The faintest hop presence on the finish, but it compliments the fruit extract a lot more than the wheat malt. Mouthfeel is watery and a little oily. Perhaps this is best reserved as a summer beverage on those scorching hot days, but I find it too sweet and unbalanced for my own tastes.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2003 19:04:52 | More by IronDjinn

SnatchyMcPants

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

01-16-2013 01:30:47 | More by SnatchyMcPants

Will12

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%

11-07-2012 05:39:49 | More by Will12

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

3.45/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Pours a straw gold with a finger width of bubbly white head that quickly fades.

Smell- Apricots, peaches, wheat, grains.

Taste- Starts with sweet apricot followed by toasted wheat. The beer finishes with toasted grains.

Mouthfeel- Light to medium bodied with light carbonation. A tad thin.

Overall- A refreshing fruit/wheat beer by Alley Kat. There is a good balance of apricot and wheat flavours without being overly sweet. Worthwhile on a hot summer day on a patio.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 02:53:04 | More by leaddog

MalcolmJames

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%

09-07-2012 23:52:29 | More by MalcolmJames

joemcgrath27

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed many times on tap and in bottles, but never took the time to scrutinize it
A - crystal clear golden, small covering of head dissipated to a few random islands and a thin lace ring
S - strong aroma of sweet juicy apricots, light grainy malt and a hint of leafy hops
T - tangy and sweet apricot dominates, leafy hops and pale bready malt, nothing fancy but it hits the intended mark
M - light and well carbonated, tangy sweet feel with mild dryness
O - a great summertime patio drink, its heavy on the fruit but it doesn't take away from its beerness

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2012 00:36:25 | More by joemcgrath27

sennin

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

08-13-2012 09:58:26 | More by sennin

wesbray

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%

08-01-2012 18:58:22 | More by wesbray

Alberta_Beer_Guy

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -8.5%

07-16-2012 01:04:39 | More by Alberta_Beer_Guy

schnarr84

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%

06-24-2012 21:00:18 | More by schnarr84

TJMcScmeebs

4.5/5  rDev +37.2%

05-21-2012 14:03:25 | More by TJMcScmeebs

Vandelayindustri

Alberta (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +14.3%

03-12-2012 09:26:29 | More by Vandelayindustri

mdevonshire

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -8.5%

01-15-2012 17:50:30 | More by mdevonshire

hockeybarbie

Alberta (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

01-15-2012 08:04:55 | More by hockeybarbie

maclean25

British Columbia (Canada)

3.05/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Got a six pack of bottles while visiting Grande Prairie, Alberta.

It has a cloudy bronzed orange colour. It has a slightly beige head with small soapy bubbles which reduce to nothing. It has a strong fruit smell. It actually smells a lot like dried fruit, but that is probably because there are apricots in the dried fruit mixes.

Apricots definitely in the taste. My first impression is that it tastes nice, like cold fruit juice with apricots and peaches, then fizz and a hit of hops. It is tilted more towards fruit than any traditional beer tastes, and is very sweet. I found moderate-to-small carbonation and a medium body.

Overall, it is a nice, unique beer. It may be my first fruit beer (I vaguely remember having a raspberry-flavoured beer before) and is was more fruity than what I expected. It is not something I'd go back for and I'd be indifferent to recommending it to anyone.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 03:09:53 | More by maclean25

benbou17

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -8.5%

12-05-2011 03:09:18 | More by benbou17

rbuisson

Manitoba (Canada)

3/5  rDev -8.5%

11-25-2011 20:42:17 | More by rbuisson

jmdr

Alberta (Canada)

2/5  rDev -39%

11-22-2011 03:38:25 | More by jmdr

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev +6.7%

11-21-2011 08:57:05 | More by thehyperduck

shadynasty

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -8.5%

11-19-2011 00:39:47 | More by shadynasty

tonyf55

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at Mango Shiva (Calgary, AB). Served in an AlleyKat Lager glass.

Visual (3): Golden hue, modest clarity, very good lacing off the start. Little to no visible carbonation. Off-white single finger head quickly dissipates into a thin film.

Aroma (4): Sweet, fruity smell with the apricot present and dominating. Not overpowering though. Hints of raisen and plum. No real hops or yeast smell. Contributes to the taste.

Taste (4): Sweetness throughout. Initial taste is light on any fruit flavour, but the ends hits with apricot and plum flavours. The taste has a medium lasting quality. Exactly what I would expect from a fruit beer.

Mouthfeel (4): Wonderfully creamy mouthfeel with almost no hint of carbonation. Has enough of an alcoholic feel to avoid tasting like fruit juice. Mouthfeel lightly lingers

Overall (4): A very good fruit beer that has really improved since the first time I tried it a few years ago (3 or so?). My only slight knock is the lack of real "beer" flavours, yet it is nicely compensated by the touch of alcohol. True to the style, with a great smell and an original flavour.

Serving type: on-tap

10-12-2011 17:57:05 | More by tonyf55

WoodBrew

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

The Alley Kat Aprikat was on tap at the Earl's Restaurant in Calgary. The appearance was good, nice amber color with thick white head. The smell was decent, hints of citus and hops. The taste was somewhat tart/bitter due to the grapefruit start making the beer very crisp. The bitterness hung on the pallete. The mouthfeel was a little rough for me, because whn a beer is this tart it seems as if there might be a chalky taste. Nonetheless, this beer is worth trying.

Serving type: on-tap

06-21-2011 23:11:21 | More by WoodBrew

ChrisCage

Alberta (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- The coloring is mainly orange, with maybe a touch of amber around the edging. The head starts out foamy and thick, yet it manages to fairly quickly drop off to a half ring around the glass. Lots of carbonation rises to the top in a fast motion. Lacing is modest at best...not much else to say about it. Overall not a stand out looking beer, but it doesn't look bad.

S- Sweet malts and apricot flesh dominate the aroma. Possibly a tad on the syrupy/phony side of things, the fruit just seems a bit too strong and sweet to not have some flavoring added, but it isn't offensive. The middle is a little reminding of biscuit followed by a slightly dry, but not bitter finish.

T- More of the same here, but the apricot isn't as sweet....tastes a bit more like the pit was used in the boil as well. Malt sweetness is still there but also not as pronounced. The finish is once again, slightly dry, but definitely there is not any hint of hops used here.

M- Solid medium-ish body and maybe a bit cloying, as noticed by swirling this around the glass. As this warms up a bit, the carbonation goes from zesty and plentiful, to zesty, yet fine. The beer really shows off the essence of apricot fruit well.

D- I really liked this when I was first introduced to it, but have since tried another apricot based wheat beer by Pyramid, and this is definitely second to it. I think this has become a little too sweet for me, but I still like it. This is the perfect beer to start out with for the crowd still sucking back sugary vodka/rum coolers....also is great on a hot summer day. I made one of my cats try this and he didn't like it unfortunately...I'd have a couple bottles of this under the right circumstances, otherwise one is enough!

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 00:28:00 | More by ChrisCage

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Orangish golden apperance with light head but decent lace. Smell is mainly orange and apricot with an assortment of other fruits (mangos, apples, etc.). Very sweet.

Taste is similar to the smell, but suprisingly lighter. Mainly apricot and apples along with vague tastes of other fruits. Picked up a hint of wheat and sweetness. Light-medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Has a lingering mango taste at the end.

Overall this beer is a good take on fruit beers First impressions was that this would be a thicker beer, but it's refreshing and inoffensive. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2011 03:00:05 | More by CrazyMike

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.13/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Aprikat looks like honey and, indeed, you might be tempted to add a dollop of it into your tea. Its perfectly transparent and sunny complexion is fantastically suited to an apricot beer. Although a good head formed from the pour, most of it soon evaporated. Large bumpers like the ones used in children's bowling bound to the glass's sides.

The aroma is expressly fruity and fragrant, and as direct result let's slip a bout of artificiality. No matter, such was to be expected. And frankly it smells lovely anyhow. In fact, if anything, this smell of honey-drizzled apricots is a little too lovely - if something seems too good to be true chances are it is. This smacks of being a little syrupy.

Note how the brewery cleverly boasts about the beer being infused with the "fresh taste of orchard picked apricots". Right. It obviously has: that sums up the flavour perfectly. But take a close look at the wording: the "taste" of orchard picked apricots - not the orchard picked apricots themselves. Whatever. It's probably much tastier this way anyhow.

Normally flavour additives are a deal breaker, but I'd of been naive not to expect them with a beer like this. That artificial apricot flavour doesn't upset me - actually, it's rather delightful I must admit - but the near total lack of malts is thoroughly disappointing. This is more like an apricot cocktail than an apricot beer; there's no body to prop it up at all.

Which is a real shame because it's an otherwise lovely refreshment, especially for a sunny summer afternoon (which was the setting in which I enjoyed it). A delicate floral quality, like a rose-water flavour, and a honey-like sweetness sway a lot of that fruity apricot taste. This is something that will be splendidly enjoyable for the average public.

Behind only St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat, Aprikat is probably Canada's second best apricot-flavoured beer. That may sound impressive but far as I know they're Canada's only two apricot beers. Still, in all fairness Alley Kat does call this a "beer kooler" right there on the label. So there's no pretense here. You know exactly what to expect.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 00:41:24 | More by biegaman