05 Aug Saint Arnold Orange Show
Saint Arnold Orange Show
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Northside Houston
Blonde ale brewed with blood oranges
ABV: 5.3%
IBUs: 21
Packaging: Draft, 6 pack 12 ounce cans
My personal favorite this summer has become, hands down, Saint Arnold Orange Show. I had this for the first time on draught at East End Hardware it’s become a go-to. I was first drawn to it because of memories of the actual Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, our folk art monument on Munger Street. I tried it because I was just glad it wasn’t yet another citrus-y IPA (not that those suck; but there is a plethora).
Cans and tap handles model orange and white tiles in a nod to the Orange Show Monument’s color scheme and its famous found art: tiles, mirror shards, and more hand-picked and hand-placed.
The blood orange puree jumps forward on the nose and the tongue, with its bright citrus tempered by the hint of raspberry that comes with all blood oranges. Bright, citrusy notes are also present in the light hopping. There was a light buzzing sensation on my tongue from the carbonation and citrus.
But the blonde body on Saint Arnold Orange Show carried the flavor without overwhelming it. It took a couple sips to decipher the flavors, as they tasted so bound together. The blonde ale gave it a suggestion of creaminess, combating the pucker of the blood orange, yet there was just enough body to keep the flavor spread out without getting too thin.
Citrus notes can be tough to nail down. Usually, they are a mild hint to a light beer. Or, it is the featured flavor and goes big. I was surprised that a blonde ale–not something bigger like an IPA–could handle the citrus notes from both real blood oranges and the citrus-y hops without watering down to compensate for its flavors–but not overcompensating either.
There are quite a few blood orange-infused beers making the rounds right now, but if your buddy drinks Blue Moon all day all way, they might enjoy the step up the craft beer chain to this.
Saint Arnold now distributes in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Colorado.
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My Overall Rating
Saint Arnold Orange Show
Saint Arnold Orange Show is one of those beers that lives up to its marketing description, and lets every flavor unfold. Finding a beer that delicately balances its flavors is not that common (or even wanted). That’s why I like fancy-pants Belgians and German beers that have honed their flavor profile over centuries. But you don’t have to shell out fancy-pants bucks to get a beer that lets its flavors share a space without crowding, and I think Saint Arnold Orange Show is an easy example of that while keeping the local love.
Let us know by voting below or tell us about it in the comments! Beers to you, Houston!
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