We’re sitting down for dinner and getting ready to watch the BCS National Championship game. I blindly reached into the beer fridge and this is what I came out with. I picked up a four pack of this at the liquor store in July (it says it was bottled on 6/10/13). I’ve already had a few, but I have time tonight while watching the pregame to takes notes.

Location: Poured into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 5.7% ABV, 15 IBUs, ~140 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s deep red, garnet in color and pretty clear. There’s no head, just a crown of bubbles around the edge of the glass. It has a sweet, obvious raspberry aroma.

Taste & Feel: The body is light and the mouthfeel is crisp and refreshing. Sweet dark raspberry flavor with some effervescence up front, which becomes almost sweet and raspberry syrup like in the middle. The fruitiness of the raspberry opens up in the semi-dry finish. The raspberry flavor lasts briefly in the aftertaste.

Food Pairing: This beer tastes like straight raspberry juice. Therefore, I’d recommend this as a contrasting flavor with sweet desserts like chocolate or cheesecake.

Overall Impression: Plain and simple, this beer tastes like sparkling raspberry juice. There is not a lot of complexity, just sweet raspberry flavors. It’s sweet, juice-like flavor is a lot like Founders Cerise cherry ale (and I heard they made this because of a bad cherry harvest this year). I like raspberry more than the cherry. It’s a nice flavor, but it reminds me of those sparkling wine coolers chicks bought in college.

My Rating:

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