King Balaton by Alter Brewing Co. was reviewed as BJCP Category 28C, wild Specialty Beer. If you have ever climbed Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes with an 8-to-10-year-old child on a hot day, this is the exact beer you want while sitting at a picnic table at the bottom of the Dune Climb, watching them tear yet again to the top and compete on who can do the most face plants on the way down. The fresh whole cherry taste of this beer coupled with the lemonade-level tartness is a perfect restorative after a long day of climbing or hiking, and where better to drink it than in Cherry Country. The tartness is clean and simple -- like a kettle sour -- but it allows the rich cherry flavors that the brewer has captured in the can to shine through while keeping the beverage an adult drink. I would love to have this beer with a rotisserie chicken and a fresh baked cherry pie. Frankly, any business that sells beer along the Lake Michigan shoreline from Frankfort to Charlevoix is nuts if they do not feature this beer.
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King Balaton
Description
Ruby red in color with a high degree of brightness. Light body.
The wheat and barley provide the perfect canvas to highlight just the right amount of tartness, while allowing for a subtle kick of cherry sweetness. Crisp, effervescent, and very refreshing.
Our tart cherry wheat is brewed with the help of over 90lbs. of 100% Michigan balaton and montmorency cherry juice per barrel. These delicious cherries were grown at King Orchards in Northern Michigan, where they received their royal moniker.
Judges Review
Aroma:
20 / 24
Appearance:
5 / 6
Flavor:
36 / 40
Mouthfeel:
7 / 10
Overall Impression:
17 / 20