Drank: Apple Beer (Buckman Botanical Brewery)

By Rebecca Jacobson

The boundaries between beer and cider are blurring. Cidermakers now add hops to their libations; brewers pour apple juice into their beer (or, in the case of Redd's Apple Ale, made by MillerCoors, "natural apple flavor"). When done well, the apples, barley and hops come together in floral, citrusy harmony. When not, you get Buckman Botanical Brewery's Apple Beer. The small operation specializes in beers that prioritize the flavors of herbs and spices over the bitterness of hops. Its apple brew is 75 percent beer and 25 percent cider, but recalls a different lunchbox fruit: bananas. Pouring a cloudy gold, it's more like Hefeweizen than cider, because of its Belgian yeast. It's fruity, to be sure, and not unpleasant, but it also feels like a case of false advertising. I dove in hoping for an apple orchard; I landed instead in a banana plantation. Not recommended.

WWeek 2015

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.