Beer Review - Volcano Blossom

 

I just wanted a beach beer. And instead, I got a mystery and a reminder of the problems of crowd-sourced data!

We headed off the the bay…Volcano Bay. And with a planned long day of fighting the fearless river and a water coaster, I knew that I would be picking up Volcano Bay’s specialty beer!

"Volcano Blossom"

“Volcano Blossom” is a no IBU, 5.5% ABV Pilsner. It’s a brew from Orange Blossom Brewing Company exclusively for Universal's third park, Volcano Bay. I found it fine. It’s a beer with no bite, and some slight fruity sweetness. It’s a lightly sweet beer that tastes like beer.

But here’s in the controversy. I had this beer around five years ago. And this pint reminded me of those first sips…beer flavor with no hop bite and nothing exciting to my palate. It’s a nice, not overly heavy beer that fits a theme park where you want some refreshment that won’t hold you down on a water slide. But, when I went to enter my sips into Untappd, I found two “Volcano Blossom” entries, and both exclusive to Volcano Bay. Somewhere, somehow, a second entry was set up by a beer fan for an exclusive Cigar City “Volcano Blossom” with an IPA style. Basically, it’s reported as a fruited “Jai Alai,” which, like the Pilsner version, is actively being rated on in the app. But let me reassure you, this IPA version does not exist. I assume you can likely find “Jai Alai” in the park. But “Volcano Blossom” is, as Orange Blossom Brewing reports on their website, is a Pilsner, brewed by them, and exclusive to the park. There is only one “Volcano Blossom.” I do wonder if, once upon a time, there may have been an IPA version from Cigar City. But if so, it’s not now, and it’s not when I visited Volcano Bay the first time over five years ago. What likely happened is a drinker enjoyed one or two, thought it reminded them of “Jai Alai” and dropped in an entry for the beer they imagined. But we got to stop rating the fictional Cigar City brew. 

 
Who Drinks This? You like Pilsners, including macrobrands, and are having fun at the beach, this is for you. If you are a Pale Ale or IPA fan, you may find the lack of bite a little underwhelming. But you’ve joined the islanders, and you need to enjoy their beer at least once. It will keep you in the mood and allow you to fight the waves!

Beer Review - The Triple

"The Triple"

It is the beer that cannot be named. Because if you order it with the Harry Potter trademarked name fans prefer, you won’t get one! Also, it’s not technically a brew but we’ve reentered the world of potions and beer blends.

I wandered into the Hog’s Head, one of my favorite attractions in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now, I needed a line beer for Hagrid’s! But I wanted something different and since I have drank all of the specialty wizard beers and wanted something new, I grabbed a “Triple.” Now, this blend can be ordered as “The Triple” or “Three-Layer” or “Triple-Layer” beer. They will all get this potion mixed up for you. I felt more magical than my buddy who ordered a “Yuengling Lager” for our slow stroll to the motorbikes

The pint is a blend of two beers and a cider. The bottom layer is “Strongbow Cider”, the middle is a “Hog’s Head Brew,” and it’s topped off with “Guinness Stout.” Now you can mix this all up, but me, I drank this three-brew potion sip by sip, letting the layers mingle together while still keeping their black, amber, and yellow stripes distinctly clear and clean. But the middle and bottom both have some sweet tones to balance the malty start. 

"Yuengling Traditional Lager" and A "The Triple"

Overall, the flavor starts malty as you dip into the stout. But before the malty liquid layer is gone, you begin to hit some sweetness. The cider sweetness seeps into the ale in the middle even more as they mingle together longer. Then you get a nice sweet punch at the end, where the ale mellows out the sweetness of the cider just a pinch. It’s a journey in a plastic pint.

It’s a journey in a plastic pint. You get different taste experiences with the first sips and the last sips not matching. And the middle becomes a muddled up potion of different yet pleasant flavors.

Who Drinks This? Honestly, if I am at the Hog’s Head, I think I would choose a “Hog’s Head” or a “Daisy Root.” This is for someone who wants to experience something new or already has a taste for it. But I think if you want a pure Wizard beer…well, 2 of these brands have international audiences. It’s fun and sweet, but to me, it’s more for a mood than fitting a wizarding theme!