Beer Review – Freetail Tropical Punch Bexarliner

• Name: Tropical Punch Bexarliner
• Brewery: Freetail Brewing Co.
• Style: Fruit Beer
• Origin: Texas
• ABV: 5.8%

San Antonio’s Freetail Brewing Co. is something of a hometown hero for beer drinkers in the South Texas region. All reputable stores and locations in the region carry the famed and respected Freetail brews. So, when on a recent trip to San Antonio’s Flying Saucer, I was intrigued to see Freetail’s Tropical Punch Bexarliner (pronounced “Bear-liner”, more on that here) on their menu and knew I had to try it.

Tropical Punch Bexarliner has an intriguingly rich orange hue. Its hazy texture is reminiscent of a wheat beer and a fair bit “thicker” than most ales. It has low carbonation and produces little head.

Related: Passion Fruit Kicker Review

Its striking color pairs with a mouthwateringly sour, fruity aroma. In all honesty, this beer smells more like tropical fruit juice than a beer. Freetail describes Tropical Punch Bexarliner as “Tart Ale with Hibiscus, Mango, Passion Fruit & Pink Guava”, and the passion fruit and mango smells really come through strong.

Flavor wise, you get what you would expect. The flavor is sweet, tart and sour all at once. The sourness of the fruit flavors would likely become overwhelming for some. If you are prone to heartburn or an upset stomach, this may not be the beer for you. With that said, it is a very pleasant beer to drink.

Some people will be turned off by the fact that the fruit flavors all but drown out the beer taste, leaving just the slightest hint of bitterness to remind you that hops and malts exist in the glass. Tropical Punch Bexarliner’s aftertaste is pleasant, but it is very acidic. As stated before, this flavor profile will prove to be too much for some.

TL;DR

Freetail’s Tropical Punch Bexarliner has one of the most unusual flavor profiles I have ever experienced. As an avid lover of fruit beers, I very much enjoyed this but I can see it being too much for some. I highly recommend trying this, because it is one of the best fruit beers I have ever tried.

Rating 9/10

Question of the Day

What is your “hometown hero” beer? Let me know!

 

Connect with Sargent Suds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Learn more about Tropical Punch Bexarliner on Freetail’s website and Untappd.

DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO SARGENT SUDS!