Dover, DE
Old Dominion, once Virginia-based, is now a part of Fordham Brewing Co., under the umbrella of Coastal Brewing Co. Cherry Blossom Lager is conditioned on 300 pounds of Michigan cherries for 48 hours.
ABV: 5.4
ABW: 4.2
COLOR: 7.1
BITTERNESS: 18.5
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: 1050
AVAILABLE: MD, DE, NJ, VA, PA, DC
A touch of pink from the cherries in this smooth lager flashes a shy blush that shines in the glass, making this beer a real showstopper at the table. The effervescence is as soft as cherry petals in the mouth, but doesn’t do much to bring the aromas of this beer to the nose. No matter. One sip and the sweetness—with just a playful touch of tartness—from the cherries comes alive on the palate. A slight push from the grains joins in the game, and hops, while not overly present, are there to keep everything in balance.
I have a soft spot for Old Dominion and Fordham beers. They’re never going to thrill the beer geek within us, but there’s really nothing to dislike, and everything slips down, oh, so easily. I had reservations about this beer, though. For me, the jury’s still out on fruit-flavored lagers, yet I was pleasantly surprised. The cherry notes here are deftly handled. They are obvious in a jammy, hard-candy kind of way, but are not overpowering, allowing the leanness and crispness of the base lager to stay in the picture. And, thankfully, it’s not particularly sweet.
Lisa Morrison, aka The Beer Goddess, writes about beer whenever and wherever she can and also gets to talk about it on a weekly radio show in her hometown of Portland, OR.
Author of the Good Bottled Beer Guide and The Book of Beer Knowledge, Jeff Evans is an eight-time editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. More of his writing can be found at www.insidebeer.com.
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