Mikerphone Apples In Stereo 4Pk

Mikerphone Apples In Stereo 4Pk is a graff-style beer-cider hybrid from Mikerphone Brewing in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, sold as a four-pack of cans. Graff is a lesser-seen style that fuses apple juice with beer wort, fermented together using ale yeast — placing this release squarely at the intersection of cider and craft beer. Mikerphone Brewing earned Best New Brewery in Illinois from RateBeer and was named one of the Top New Breweries in the World by Beer Advocate Magazine in 2015.

Quick Facts: Style: Graff (Beer-Cider Hybrid)  |  Origin: Elk Grove Village, Illinois  |  Format: 4-Pack Cans  |  Brewery: Mikerphone Brewing

Production & Heritage

Mikerphone Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, operating under the tagline "Craft Beer Inspired By Music." The name Apples In Stereo is a nod to that music-first ethos. Graff as a style involves blending fresh apple juice with traditional beer wort before fermenting the combined liquid with ale yeast, producing a drink that carries the fruit-forward brightness of cider alongside the body and malt structure of beer. The concept of graff itself draws its name from a fictional beverage in Stephen King's The Dark Tower novel series, and it remains a niche style that relatively few breweries attempt.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Fresh apple dominates the nose immediately, joined by a subtle grain-like sweetness from the beer wort component. There is a clean, lightly fruity quality that leans more toward orchard fruit than heavy malt.

Taste: Crisp apple flavor leads on the entry, setting a bright, refreshing tone. Mid-palate, the malt backbone emerges to give the liquid more body and a gentle bready quality that pure ciders lack. The fermentation character bridges the two worlds, keeping the sweetness measured rather than syrupy.

Finish: The finish is clean and moderately dry with lingering apple skin tartness. A faint malt echo rounds things out, keeping the final impression balanced between fruit and grain.

How to Drink Apples In Stereo

Serve cold — between 38°F and 45°F — straight from the can or poured into a tulip glass to concentrate the apple aromatics. The graff style is inherently sessionable, making it a strong standalone sipper. For a simple shandy-style serve, mix with a splash of ginger beer to accentuate the apple spice. It also works as a base for a Snakebite, the classic cider-and-lager combination, where Apples In Stereo essentially does the blending for you. A squeeze of fresh lime and a dash of honey can turn it into a refreshing beer cocktail riff on a hard cider spritz.

Best For

• Introducing cider-curious beer drinkers to the graff style
• Warm-weather cookouts where lighter, fruit-forward drinks are preferred
• Pairing with a cheese board featuring sharp cheddar and fresh fruit
• Gifting to craft beer fans who appreciate unusual or boundary-pushing styles

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Apples In Stereo taste like? Apples In Stereo delivers prominent crisp apple flavor supported by a light malt backbone, landing somewhere between a bright cider and a light ale. The overall character is clean, refreshing, and moderately dry.

How does Apples In Stereo compare to Revelation Puffa Puffa Graf? Both are graff-style hybrids that blend apple and beer characteristics, with Revelation's Puffa Puffa Graf listed at 5.3% ABV and noted for pronounced apple aromatics. Apples In Stereo comes from a brewery with strong national recognition, and Mikerphone's music-inspired branding gives the lineup a distinct identity, though both deliver on the core graff promise of bridging cider and beer.

Is Apples In Stereo good for cider beginners? Yes — the malt component from the beer wort adds body and familiarity for anyone accustomed to drinking beer, making it a smooth entry point into cider-adjacent territory without the sometimes sharp acidity of a straight cider.

Where is Apples In Stereo made? Apples In Stereo is brewed by Mikerphone Brewing, a family-owned craft brewery located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, in the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

What foods pair well with Apples In Stereo? Pork dishes such as pulled pork or bratwurst complement the apple sweetness. Sharp cheddar cheese mirrors the tartness. Roasted root vegetables bring out the malt side. Apple-glazed chicken creates a harmonious echo of flavor. Light salads with vinaigrette match the graff's clean, dry finish.

What sizes does Apples In Stereo come in? Apples In Stereo is available in a four-pack of cans, which is the standard retail format for this release from Mikerphone Brewing.

Is Apples In Stereo worth the price? Apples In Stereo positions as a specialty craft release from a critically recognized small brewery, placing it in the premium craft tier. The graff style is uncommon enough that it carries novelty value beyond the liquid itself, and Mikerphone's track record supports the quality expectation.

Why Apples In Stereo?

Graff remains one of the rarest styles on craft shelves, and Mikerphone Brewing is one of the few producers with the recognition and distribution to put a credible version in front of drinkers. The brewery's 2015 accolades from both RateBeer and Beer Advocate Magazine established it as a serious operation early on, and that reputation carries through their more experimental releases. Apples In Stereo delivers on the fundamental appeal of the style — genuine apple flavor with real beer structure — without gimmickry. For anyone looking to explore the space between cider and craft beer, this is one of the more accessible and well-pedigreed options available.