I don't like baseball. I've tried to like it, but I could just never get there. Yes, as an adult, I recognize that it appears most people enjoy baseball as simply an opportunity to drink beer, but I find that it tends to spoil the beer. I bring this up because this beer is clearly an homage to baseball. I'm not thinking that will negatively impact the taste of the beer, but clearly the brewers and I have already parted ways on what is or is not good. Again, this shouldn't affect the taste the beer.
I don't know why I expected something that was more like a traditional American macro lager. Maybe because that is the kind of beer that I would typically encounter the few times I've been to a ballpark, but that's not the case here. This is a hazy, orange beer with a nice, fluffy head that simmers down to a giant island in the center and strong rings around the sides. The aroma is fruit peels and a sweet malt. This does not remind me of baseball.First sip is better than I even expected. I had feared from the aroma that the beer was going to wind up being a little too peel-heavy and bitter. Instead, it manages to balance fairly well while certainly not being accused of being watery. There is a slight dryness that comes on after the drink, and it is accompanied by the familiar fruit peel bitterness, but it doesn't overtake the solid and somewhat sweet center of the beer. Really, this is clearly too complex to deal with in just a sip.
Tip-in is moderate carbonation with agave sweetness and fruits of mango, grapefruit, and starfruit. The middle is a delightfully balanced and solid mix of fruits that do not skew particularly sweet or bitter. The finish brings the missing bitterness as fruit meat turns to peels and pits and dryness comes in for the trail off.
Bottom Line: It's certainly better than baseball.
3.0/5