Princess Yum Yum is a Bit of a Dumb Dumb.

Jeff

I brought a six pack of Denver Brewing Company's Princess Yum Yum to a family dinner recently and let's just say that the results were divisive. They were divisive in that everyone seemed to hate this beer except for me.

Fruit beers can be very hit or miss. I also believe that many people fall firmly on one side or the other: either they love them or think they are vile. I personally do enjoy a fruity beer now and again and I think this is a good example of a fruit beer done right.

Princess Yum Yum is a raspberry flavored ale. The flavoring is natural and light, not heavy or, IMO, kool-aide like. Yet it is fruit flavored, so much so that I feel like the those flavor overwhelms the quality beer underneath it. It's kind of a mish-mash of sweet, sour, and bitter, no one flavor really dominating. All of the those flavors have a way of canceling each other out and muting what should be a much more bright and vibrant beer.

If raspberry is going to turn off some people from the onset anyway, might as well fully go for it.

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Haley

First off I have a note on the beer itself: it is pink and murky when poured. I know J says that floating bits and things don't matter but this one seemed excessive and grossed me out. Yet, what grossed me out most of all is how a beer called PRINCESS YUM YUM could so thoroughly squander all of its potential.

With a name like that I want so much more- crowns, jewels, cartoon princesses, unicorns, castles. Anything! Why choose such an evocative name and then do NOTHING with it. It really is a shame. My Dad agreed- he thought it needed a twist of anime to compliment the name.

Instead we get a plain red design and the logo of the brewer. What a waste. This is by far the most disappointing design I've come across so far for this blog. 

Renegade Plays by the Rules with 5:00 O'Clock Afternoon Ale

Jeff

I've been a fan of Renegade for a long time: an empty bottle of their iconic Voodoo Maple Bacon Doughnut Ale has been standing on one of my bookshelves for many years now. Their willingness to experiment is something I appreciate. However, in their 5:00 Afternoon Ale I find that creativity sorely lacking.

This ale has a mild citrusy flavor with a pleasant bitterness that doesn't linger. It has some complexity (though I couldn't identify anything specific) and overall I would say this is an OK representitive of an ale. Unfortunately, it's just not very interesting. For this to merit higher than average with this flavor profile this beer would just have had to be a whole lot bolder in flavor. As it is it's just sort of exists- it neither excites me or is a complete failure.

I think Renegade can do better.

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Haley

Since this very summer, I have had the oppourtunity to try an actual Voodoo Doughtnut Maple Bacon bar. It is perfectly delicious. Sweet, salty, umami, everything perfectly rationed out so nothing overpowers, bacon cooked to perfection. It is a unique and rare treat. Having tried an imitation at a lesser doughnut shop years earlier I can tell you- it's either the real deal, or it's not. Accept no substitutions.

But that what I kind of feel like when I look at this can. Like this design is the substitute placeholder used until the REAL design is finished. How completely boring is this? The yellow is a nice shade but this might as well be a white can with "BEER" stamped on it in black.

I guess I was under the impression that Renegade put a bit more thought into their design work (because that bottle in our living room that Jeff mentions isn't just there for the memories). I guess I thought wrong.

Note: the name of this beer also reminds of this classic riff from MST3K:

"They just didn't care!"