Beer of the Week

The beer: Welcome to Razwell

The brewery: UFO Beer, Boston, Massachusetts

Description (from the website): "Natural raspberry flavor is added to this delightfully sweet and slightly tart raspberry hefeweizen to give it a delicate fruit flavor. The raspberries are balanced by the clean, wheat beer taste making it a delicious blend of sweet and refreshing for any season."

Would I buy it again? It is a well-balanced beer; the raspberry pairs nicely with the wheat flavor. I'm just not one who particularly enjoys raspberries. I probably would not buy this one again, but that's just me. I think it's a good beer, just not for me. I'll have to look out for other beers from this brewery though, I like their theming and their beer names.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Raspberry Milk Stout

Brewed by: Flying Dog Brewery, Frederick, Maryland

Description (from the website): "Nothing burns quite like the cold. For that reason, it’s recommended you stay indoors for the duration of winter, hide under a pile of six blankets, and crack open a beer. This beer. Fresh, jammy raspberry adds sweetness and complements the dark malt flavors of chocolate, coffee and lonely isolation. Enjoy, we’ll see you in a few months."

Would I buy it again?: It was better than the other raspberry beers that I've had in the past, as the raspberry taste was nicely balanced with the milk stout base. I'd say it was slightly above average, but I'm not going to go out of my way to buy a beer that's only a bit better than average. That said, if it's sold alongside the S'more Porter like it was in the case that I bought, I'm going to encounter it again, and that's fine. I can live with it.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Space Monkey Raspberry Saison

Brewed by: Fegley's Brew Works, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "Space Monkey is formulated to rocket around your palate with a 21st century complexity in flavor and aroma. Hints of lemon and pepper orbit around a raspberry tartness to guarantee a successful flight. Brewed with 480 lbs of raspberries!"

Would I buy it again?: As much as it pains me to dislike a beer called Space Monkey, I'm afraid that this just isn't my kind of beer. I don't think it's necessarily the beer's fault, I think I'm just not a big fan of raspberries, and this beer has quite a noticeable raspberry flavor to it. Considering how it's made, that doesn't seem surprising.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Raspberry Soiree (Berliner Style Weisse w/ Raspberry)

Brewed by: Ithaca Beer Company, Ithaca, New York

Description (from the website): "Our new spring sour showcases the naturally flavor-packed raspberry with a unique and refreshing beer that strikes a perfect balance between tart and sweet. Enjoy the beautiful pink hue, and balanced profile of our latest limited release."

Would I buy it again?: No. I could appreciate a subtle raspberry taste mixed in with the beer. But this beer was not subtle. This beer was subtle in the same way a punch to the face is subtle. This beer shouts in your face, "HEY! DID YOU KNOW I'M MADE WITH RASPBERRIES!" It's a good thing my brother doesn't care about beer, otherwise he might be slightly miffed I didn't like a beer from the town he's going to school in.