Beer of the Weekend #670: Forbidden Traveler Apple Ale

I’m back. I was in Miami last week for the annual conference and may write about South Florida eventually. As a matter of fact, I probably should since I have been so quiet blogwise recently.

The beer of the weekend is something that has been sitting in my fridge for a while: Forbidden Traveler Apple Ale, brewed by The Traveler Beer Company of Burlington, Vermont.


Serving type: 12-ounce bottle. The enjoy by month notched along the side of the label is “JULY 2015.”

Appearance: Pours a cloudy, dirty dishwater, deep straw. Two fingers of dense, buttery, off-white head dissipates slowly and leaves a very thin cap that eventually settles to a skim from the inside out.

Smell: Lots o’ apple. There are scents of apple sauce, apple cider, and apple Jolly Rancher. There is also a touch of lemon. The wheat is also noticeable. In that sense, it is very shandy-like. There is also a little watermelon and may strawberry, too.

Taste: The flavor is not robust, but it is tasty and very pleasing. The mouthfeel is full-bodied and soft. Apple is prominent, but it does not dominate as it does in the smell. It is a tasty blend of apple, wheat, a touch of lemon zest, and maybe a little clove or other spice. It also tastes like there are other fruits like strawberry and watermelon. (Is watermelon fruit? I have no clue.)

Drinkability: Tasty, refreshing, and quaffable. It’s good stuff and it is what it is — a winner!

Fun facts about FTAA:

•Style: It is classified on BA as “Fruit/Vegetable Beer.”

•Price: $8.99/sixer at John’s Grocery in Iowa City.

•Alcohol content: 4.4 percent ABV.

•IBU: 7.

•I drank a couple new beers in Miami, but I did not care to make note of them. It was nice to just drink a couple pints for once.

•Surprisingly, there are actual reviews of this beer on BeerAdvocate. Most BA users only post scores without writing reviews now.

•To be honest, I first thought Forbidden Traveler was apple cider. Nope. The LV had received a couple sample bottles and they sat in my fridge for about a month before I got around to drinking them. When I popped the cap and inverted the bottle, I thought, “That doesn’t look like apple cider.” It was a very pleasant surprise.


The Quiet Man’s grade: B-.

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