25 October 2016 - Best Beer HQ
Garage Project Orange Sunshine Citrus Wheat Review
Attracted to its blazing shine like an alcoholic magpie, I picked up a can of Garage Project’s funky-looking Orange Sunshine Citrus Wheat at a supermarket in Mt Roskill, Auckland, but I drank it some 140km further south, at a campground in Te Aroha, Waikato, of all places.
I’d just spent half a day or more hiking through the picturesque Karangahake Gorge, and I was in dire need of a well-earned beer when I cracked this baby open. Though my legs ached, the afternoon couldn’t have been more pleasant at the foot of the Kaimai Ranges; I sat on a bench amongst a green, serene, park-like setting, as the sun blazed away like a big bonfire in the sky.
Prime conditions for a beer called Orange Sunshine.
ABV: 4.6%
Blurb on the can: Liquid sunshine in a can, brewed with pale wheat, orange peel and rose hips for a uniquely refreshing tart citrus character. Take a sip, pause for a moment and let your mind drift. Picture yourself in a shimmering haze of orange citrus sunshine as a cooling breeze sends gentle waves through seas of golden wheat. As you look at your can, it almost seems real.
Tastes like: Have you ever been to Germany, reader? There’s a fizzy drink over there that I’m partial to, called Mezzo Mix, which is basically Coca-Cola with a twist of orange. That’s what Garage Project’s Orange Sunshine Citrus Wheat reminds me of.
It’s literally a golden wheat beer with lashings of orange – though the taste is more subdued than its aroma lets on. Indeed, the citrus is very prominent on the nose; so much so that I was initially disappointed that this beer didn’t have a bit more kick to it.
But as I relaxed into it, and I read the blurb on the can once more, I realised that wasn’t the point of this beer. Orange Sunshine is a chilled-out, extra refreshing, lawnmower beer for the laid-back and the thirsty. At this point in time, I’m both; so, it’s thumbs up from me.
If it’s a citrus kick that you’re looking for, go check out Liberty Citra imperial IPA.
Beer/movie pairing: Though it’s hardly “sunshiny” and relaxing, Orange Sunshine’s name and the sweet 60s/70s-style of writing on the can remind me of another fantastic Stanley Kubrick film (check out my review of Brew Dog’s Sink the Bismarck to see what movie I paired it with) and that is, of course, dystopian crime film A Clockwork Orange…
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