Apple ales are easy to find this time of year. The best of them balance the fruity notes of apples with a solid backbone of beer. Karben4 has been working on its take on this autumn brew for a couple of fall seasons, and this year they’ve got it down, with Downton Appley.
What is it? Downton Appley from Karben4 Brewing of Madison.
Style: Apple ales offer a range of sweet to sour characteristics, often reflecting the type of apples used. A common method is to add apple juice to the wort and ferment it together with brewer’s yeast. The base beer of Downton Appley is a medium-bodied amber ale. Generally, when fruit is added to a beer like this, the brewer is attempting to influence the flavor profile with an obvious blend of fruit qualities that should not overwhelm the underlying style of beer.
Background: Karben4 makes this apple ale with a combination of malty wort and Michigan apple concentrate from a blend of sweet apple varieties. The juice and wort are blended in the fermenter before an ale yeast is added to turn it all into a soft, fruity sweet beer. This fall the brewers at Karben4 used a process that involved adding an additional shot of apple juice after fermentation and just before packaging to give it a fresh burst of fruity aroma and flavor. “It gives it a nice, refined, crisp apple flavor,” says the brewery’s Ryan Koga.
This apple ale stands out among others for its firm fruitiness balanced against the bready caramel maltiness of the background beer. The flavor avoids tasting too much like a cider because the malts provide a backbone that reminds the drinker this is still a beer. “I wanted to complement the apple,” says Koga.
Its name is a nod to the PBS television series Downton Abbey, a show Koga says he’s addicted to; he came up with the name after binge watching it this past year.
Downton Appley finishes at 6.8 percent ABV. It sells in the brewery’s taproom for $6.25/glass and in stores for $9/6-pack. This beer is around for only a short time. Expect to see it into November but not much beyond.
Tasting notes:
- Aroma: Light bready maltiness that mingles with notes of apple.
- Appearance: Clear deep amber-copper body. A medium soft tan head.
- Texture: Medium-bodied, round and soft.
- Taste: A soft apple sweetness is throughout with nice bready and toffee maltiness in the background.
- Finish/Aftertaste: The sweetness of apple and light bready maltiness lingers.
Glassware: Find a wine glass that has the shape of an apple, with an inward flare to the lip that will focus the fruity aroma and appropriately call attention to the deep reddish-copper hue of the beer.
Pairs well with: nothing. It’s best on its own as a pre-meal or appetizer beer to better appreciate its fruity sweet tones. It will prepare the palate for the meal, much like apéritif wines.
The Verdict: Downton Appley is a beer that shows how apple character can co-exist with the maltiness of an amber ale. The fruity sweetness combines with the underlying caramel and toffee notes of the malt to remind the drinker of a caramel apple. While there’s plenty of apple sweetness, it’s not sticky or cola-like; rather, a nice melding with the amber ale’s breadiness. This is a beer to drink as fresh as possible.Find it either in the brewery’s taproom or buy it as soon as you see it. Those crisp apple accents are best while the beer is young. Don’t age this one. Overall, Downton Appley is a pleasant fall ale that bridges cider and beer, resulting in a very drinkable seasonal treat.
