2011 Beer Review #7: Sun King Malus Π

Thanks to a recent snowstorm that canceled our previous evening plans, my wife and toddler and I found ourselves having dinner at Chatham Tap in Fishers, where I had the opportunity to try the Malus Π witbier from Sun King Brewing Company. I've been a fairly regular visitor to Sun King's tasting room for several months now, but I must have missed the memo about the Malus Π because last week was the first I'd heard of it.

First, a brief linguistic note: Malus Π as a name is an incredibly nerdy reference to apple pie. See, the Latin word malus means apple, and the Greek letter Π is pronounced in English like "pie". So the beer tells you what it's meant to taste like: It's brewed with crabapples and cinnamon. Someone has put their degree in classics to...well, maybe not good, but certainly some kind of use.

So why was I skeptical about this? I mean, beyond the fact that crabapple and cinnamon aren't things I'm used seeing in a beer? It turns out that in addition to meaning "apple", the Latin word malus can also mean "bad". How deep did Sun King's brewer take this nerdy joke? Is he trying to warn me that this is a cloying, appley girl drink impersonating beer?

A quick check of the color reveals, as expected, a cloudy golden color. The aroma was also sweet and cinnamony. The taste? Appley. Cinnamony. Our server described this as a cider rather than a witbier, and it's hard to argue with her assessment. It's got more of a cider sweetness than a beer maltiness, but it's not overly sweet like 99% of every hard cider ever. Really, this is a pleasant surprise--it's smooth and sweet without being too sweet or seeming like something aimed at the under-21 crowd. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but the Malus Π really is a worthwhile cross between apple pie and beer. I'm not missing this next time it shows up at the Sun King tasting room.