Champale Golden

Champale comes from the Pabst Brewing Company. It is a malt liquor that uses a yeast more commonly used in wine production.  It has been brewed since 1939.  I remember seeing it in the liquor store in the early 1990's.  I never got around to trying it, and I though it had disappeared.  So when I saw a bottle in a liqour store in Michigan, I snatched it up. The original was Extra Dry, then came Pink and this, Golden, which is 5.4% ABV.

The beer pours golden and yellow in color. It pours fizzy with the white head immediately bubbling away. The aroma is partly malty, partly vinous, a little sweet, a little tart, lightly fruity, apples, pears and green grapes. The taste follows the aromas, like an old traditional non-flavored wine cooler meeting a light adjunct lager. The beer drinks fizzy, both syrupy and light at the same time. This is odd, but not terribly off-putting, and oddly compelling for brief moments. Well, I waited a long time to try this, glad I did, but won't be running out to find more any time soon either (that said, if I ever see the Extra Dry or Pink I will try them).