Widmer Brothers Brewing (Portland, OR) recently began releasing a “Reserve” series of special brews. These “Reserve” beers are brewed in small batches, brewed only once. Cherry Oak Doppelbock kicked off the series last September. Release #2 has arrived – Prickly Pear Braggot.
Prickly Pear Braggot is a strong ale brewed with prickly pear juice and honey. Notice the term Braggot? Well, those of you that might remember Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”, that drink appears in the text. It can be dated back as early as the 1300’s. Traditionally, a Braggot is a mead brewed with honey and malt, with spices added in. There are a lot of descriptions surrounding a Braggot, but for this instance this info should get you started. There are very few beers brewed in this style, so make sure this beer hits your radar.
One other notable factoid. Widmer boasts the use of Alchemy hops in Prickly Pear. Honestly, this was a new one for me. Researching a little further into this, Alchemy hops seems to be a special blend for the Widmer Brewery. By who? Not sure, but a call to Widmer helped a bit. According to Widmer – it’s a blend of Horizon, and Warrior Hops. Hope that sheds some light on it.
Bottom line. Again there are very few beers in this style brewed. It’s worth checking out. Especially with the extra beer geek cred you can pick up from this. Also, the hop blend is unique. Worth a taste for that alone.
Availability – Individually boxed 22oz bombers. Limited, one time brew. 1/6 barrels are also floating around in the wild. Retail around $10
10% ABV
25 IBU (Low bitter)
