Storm Brewing’s Raspberry Wheat
Brewed using only water, wheat and barely malts, hops and yeast; a touch of pure raspberry extract is added to give this crisp, refreshing wheat ale a big raspberry aroma and a clean, zesty flavour.
You won’t come across this one outside of Newfoundland, and will have a harder time getting it outside of St. John’s. I’ve noticed at liquor stores this, and all of Storm’s beers, sell out quickly when they released, sometimes in less than a week. This leads me to believe that Storm has a dedicated fan base. A fan base that I’m a member of.
I’m sampling this fruit beer from a longneck, 341mL bottle. It’s also available in 650mL bottles and, ending in 2008, stubbies. Raspberry Wheat pours up a yellow-copper, with a white foamy head that’s quick to disappear. There’s also a crazy amount of carbonation present.
The aroma is dominated by raspberries (surprise!), it’s good but not particularly authentic. There’s no freshness to the berries, it’s more like a raspberry granola bar than basket of the raspberries. After spending a few minutes sniffing at this, i picked up some minor hints or cherry, within the background of biscuity malts.
The flavour shares every aspect of the taste, with a fine amount of hops on the finish. It’s an interesting combination, that can be overlooked due to the beers fizzy, watered down palate. It shares the same generally organic, natural taste profile common to all of Storm’s beers, that in itself should be a reason to go out and buy some.
Overall, this is an excellent brew for all the cooler drinkers out there who want something different, something more organic. Also a wonderful introduction to beer in general. The hardcore beerians, who I find generally give fruit beers a hard time, may be further turned off by the watery palate.
Learn more about Storm Brewing’s beers!
Tasting Notes: head disappears quickly, even with a lot of carbonation. aromas of raspberry, cherries, and biscuits. taste of fresh raspberry with bready malts and bitter hops.
