Here’s a beer I just had to try: Red Hare Cotton Tail Orange Creamsic-Ale, a Pale Ale with Orange & Vanilla added brewed by the Red Hare Brewing Company of Marietta, Georgia. This isn’t the first local beer I’ve tried that aims to replicate a frozen Creamsicle treat (those so refreshing in the oppressive Georgia heat); that honor falls to Terrapin’s Tangerine Dreamsicle, a collaboration with Green Flash.

Still, the theme seems to work well, although in this case as we’ll see I got a beery reminiscence of something else besides a Creamsicle treat. I enjoyed a 20-ounce mug of Red Hare Cotton Tail Orange Creamsic-Ale on tap at my local Tac Mac, but it’s also available in six-packs of cans.

From the website:

Orange flavors mirror the citrus notes of Zythos hops, while smooth sweet vanilla beans compliment their slight bitterness. Tastes just like a cold orange creamsicle on a hot day!

Red Hare Cotton Tail Orange Creamsic-Ale has an alcohol content of 5.5% by volume with 38 IBUs. I paid $6.50 on September 5^th for my draft at Taco Mac and the beer sells for $9.99 a six-pack in cans.

My mug of Red Hare Cotton Tail Orange Creamsic-Ale arrived a bright orange color with a thick fluffy head formation and a nose that shouted WOW! At me as soon as I sniffed. Bright citrus orange and creamy vanilla there suggest the frozen treat of the same name right away. In the palate, the orange is smooth and citrusy but not exceptionally bitter, the vanilla cool and ice creamy, and the slightly caramelly malt combined with the citrus reminds me of Kellogs OJs breakfast cereal. Yes, I just referenced a defunct 80s breakfast cereal in a beer review but this beer really made me think of that. Unlike that cereal, a gently bitter finish rounds the whole affair out nicely.

Very refreshing indeed and a hit for me as they hit the theme nicely. I’ll be out looking for some of this in cans to drink at home.

Update 3/31/2017: And I found some! Just as delicious as on draft, you really get the Creamsicle notes with orange and vanilla. Average in price at $9.99 a six-pack.

 And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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