APRICOT ALL-YEAR LONG // FROM BLACK WARRIOR BREWING CO.

By Elizabeth Lowder

Maybe you’re like me, and perhaps you’re struggling a bit to keep up with your New Year’s resolutions. One of the most common resolutions I’ve noticed in my friends is to resolve to eat better foods, and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diets. What’s a fun way to incorporate fruit into your diet? Would a fruit-flavored beer count toward that goal? I’d like to think so. Thanks to a local brewery in town, you can get the sweet taste of apricot at the tip of a glass.

This week’s selection is brewed locally from the newest taps in town, Black Warrior Brewing Company, featuring the Apricot Wheat. Black Warrior Brewing Company is the second brewery to make Tuscaloosa its home, with the first being Druid City Brewing Company.

Black Warrior has three main brewers, who work on a dozen recipes. One of the five owners of Black Warrior Brewing Company, Joe Fuller says transferring the recipes from 10-gallon batches to 300 gallons hasn’t been an easy task, but they are diligently working to perfect each and every batch.

Black Warrior Brewing Company’s Apricot Wheat is an American-style pale wheat ale. Light in color, this selection pours a clear golden orange with thin, white, aromatic head. It favors more toward a white wheat cider, than a traditional ale, but certainly does not lack in taste. The light, fruit bursts of citrus and apricot are refreshing, but do not exceed the complexities of an enjoyable, everyday beer.

The light, fruity flavors released in the Apricot Wheat complement tangy flavors of pulled pork barbecue, as well as other berry and fruit marinated selections. It has the ideal blend of airy fruit flavor, and can carry throughout the entire meal.

I have been craving a crisp, fruity beer but have grown tired of the mass market selections I’ve been indulging in for years. Using an orange slice to jazz up a brew sometimes doesn’t cut it, and picking a beer with too much fruit flavor can end up tasting like a child’s juice box. This selection is a perfect ale that can be enjoyed all year long.

While the Apricot Wheat may not be a suitable substitute for your suggested daily servings of fruit, it battles to be just as delicious. Taps of Black Warrior’s Apricot Wheat can be found at Egan’s, Buffalo Phil’s, Wilhagan’s, Alcove, and the Grey Lady.

Business hours for Black Warrior Brewing Company are from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to close Friday and Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sundays. The taproom and brewery is located at 2216 University Boulevard in Downtown Tuscaloosa. The two-story brewery features a “bonus room” upstairs with darts, foosball tables, and large televisions for enjoying your favorite sports. Check out Black Warrior’s social media pages on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date on the latest news at the brewery. Although their main website is currently under construction, the brews are definitely ready for consumption.