24 Days of B.C. Beer: Cranberry Mandarin Orange Witbier by Old Yale Brewing (No.9)

Welcome to 24 Days of Beer, in which we guide you through what might be a very dark month. Aren’t you glad we’re here to tell you what to drown your sorrows with?

These days, any beer with fruit in its name is basically expected to be sangria. And I’m not complaining, either; I love a heavily fruited sour or gose. But that’s not all we should expect fruited beer to be.

So it’s with the right expectations that I recommend the Cranberry Mandarin Orange Witbier from Abbotsford’s Old Yale Brewing. Yes, that sounds fruity as all hell—three quarters of the words are solidly fruit adjacent. And while you can definitely taste those things in this beer, it’s more in the “hints of” vein than anything else.

The operative word for this beer is crisp. And who doesn’t love that word and everything it represents? Sedin twins’ passes? Crisp. Apple Crisp? Delicious. A cold but not windy day in which the sun pops out? So, so wonderfully crisp.

(The one notable exception to this is the cereal Sugar Crisp, which is truly awful.)

Anyway, this is a great beer for one of those aforementioned days, especially if you (like me, as you can imagine) are getting a little tired of the stouts this time of year.

Previous 24 Days of Beer:
Tmavý Pivo 13 by Slowhand Brewing (No.1)
Mint Chocolate Stout by Moody Ales (No.2)
All Season Nitro Dry Stout by Container Brewing (No.3)
Four Year Oatmeal Stout by Strathcona Beer Company (No.4)
Idleback Amber Ale by Slackwater Brewing (No.5)
Peanut Butter Chocolate Porter by Bad Tattoo Brewing (No.6)
Velour Toboggan Blackberry Dark Ale by Dageraad Brewing (No.7)
Imperial Gingerbread Porter by Persephone Brewing (No.8)