There are certain drinks that men just don’t order, and seasonal ciders are one of them. As enticing as it sounds to drink a crisp, apple cider on a cool, autumn night, these fruity delights are stereotyped as girly drinks. Guys are forced to watch their female friends sip on delicious Angry Orchards as they slug down yet another Budweiser.

Labatt Brewing Company has come to the rescue of these suffering men. The brewer of the world’s best selling Canadian beer has released a new brew, Labatt Apple Harvest Ale. It is part of Labatt’s new Prohibition Series, which is a nod to Labatt’s role in “keeping the beer flowing” during America’s prohibition days.

The brewing company that has always been associated with hockey and Canadian manliness is trying its hand at something new. It has successfully crafted the perfect in between for drinkers who want something that is sweeter than beer, but not as sugary as cider.

As I popped off the bottle cap, I instantly caught a whiff of concentrated apple flavoring. I wish I could say it smelled like a Beak & Skiff Honeycrisp apple, but unfortunately, there was a degree of artificiality to it.

I tipped the beer back to take my first sip, expecting the sweet, sticky taste associated with ciders. I was surprised to find that the Apple Harvest Ale is actually more bitter than sweet, and the apple flavor is almost nonexistent until the aftertaste, which lingered on the back of my tongue.

The goldenrod yellow brew formed a thin, fizzy head when poured into a glass, and a wave of bubbles sprouted up from the bottom. As the beer became warmer, the notes of apple became more prominent, but I was not a fan of the imitation fruity flavor.

Overall this was a mediocre beer in taste, but I have to tip my hat to a brewing company that challenged the trend of apple-flavored drafts being marketed toward only a female audience. Labatt Apple Harvest Ale is a drink that everyone can shamelessly drink long into the fall season.