Last Thursday I ventured down to MadTree for the release of their newest seasonal beer, Sol Drifter. Sol Drifter is a blonde ale brewed with strawberries that is joining the seasonal lineup for May – August, replacing Spyre and leading to Pumpcan. This beer was formally called Daywalker but their only common feature is being blonde ales.
To make themselves stand out in the crowded summer seasonal market MadTree added in strawberries and designed a stunningly pink can. Those strawberries came in the form of 240 lbs of strawberry purée for every 60 bbl batch. That may sound like a lot and you may worry that its too strawberry, but fret not.
Whether you drift along in life, drift down the river, or just want to drift through a drinking session, Sol Drifter will let you go where you want by delivering subtle citrus hop flavors to complement a crisp, refreshing, tart finish.
Read on after for my thoughts on this brew.
ABV: 4.3%
Style: Blonde Ale
IBU: 18
Hops: Galena, Fuggle, Motueka
Malts: 2-row, Red Wheat, Vienna, Carapils, Caramel 80L
Fills the glass with a slightly hazy golden-yellow topped off with a thin layer of pure white foam.
Clean grainy malt is the first aroma that greets my nose followed by a mixture of earthy and citrus hops with a hint of strawberry at the end.
Your tongue gets greeted by the flavor of a crisp blonde ale with a light malt body. This is quickly succeeded by the bitterness from galena and fuggle hops with the lemon-lime citrus flavor from the motueka hops. At the last second there it s a slight bit of tartness created by the strawberries.
Light and smooth mouthfeel with a creamy finish and a lingering slickness.
This stands a solid chance of displacing New Belgium Shift as my go-to beer after mowing the lawn. There is an intangible quality of relaxation and warm days in this can, pink or not. This beer is also highly sessionable. Coming in at only 4.3% and being so relaxing and easy drinking I can see myself knocking back a 6-pack in an afternoon!
I can’t not say something about this can. Going with such a vibrant pink will make this 6-pack not only stand out but jump out of the craft beer section at your local store. It’s not just pink for the point of being pink. The shades of pink and red that dominate the can, along with the green MadTree and the green 6-pack topper are all reminiscent of real strawberries. I also dig the main logo, it took me a minute to figure out what it is but I’ve decided it’s a boat/strawberry plant. Reinforcing the can’s slogan of “Drift the river. Drift the summer. Drift the session.”
If you’re intrigued to try it yourself, which you should be, it’s hitting the market in draft and 6-packs this week with those 6-packs retailing for $9.99. If you’re really intrigued and a homebrewer than click this link for the recipe!
BrewMinds 