Across The Nation Berry Smooth
Central City Brewers + Distillers

Clear and pink filtered with 3 fingers of fast dissipating, hot pink head.

Smells of raspberries, sourdough, wine vinegar, and an acidic, perhaps lactic quality.

Tastes dry and sour, of raspberries and malt, with a touch of sweetness. Nice, fruity undertone.

Light body, light and crisp carbonation. Dry and slightly acidic.

Got with the Across the Nation pack from LCBO, drinking in Muskoka, ON, March 7th, 2018. Nice rep of the style.

 

330 mL bottle from the LCBO; packaged Mar 16 2017. This is #6 of 6 bottles included in the Western Canadian portion of Red Racer's Across the Nation Collaboration mixed pack. Served slightly chilled.

Pours a pinkish-red hue akin to watermelon juice, with over two fingers of puffy, soapy, pink-tinged head erupting at the surface. Seems as if the bugs have been busy over the last six months. It dissipates steadily over the next 7-8 minutes, culminating in a foamy, bubbly cap about a half-cm high, ringed by a spotty band of lacing. Looks great to me. Tart raspberries and sour cherry on the nose, along with kind of a funky, stinky feet smell - not exactly unheard of for a Berliner, but I must admit it's quite pungent in this instance, to the point of being a slight nuisance. Other than that, there's some milk sugar and wheaty bread sweetness in there too, but the berries and bug-derived elements guarantee that they remain a background presence.

I was starting to worry that this weissbier was well past its prime and thus not fair to review - but as far as the flavour goes, it has held up better than I would've expected for a light fruit ale (bottled in March, no less). The sourness is mild to moderate, with its lactic acidity combining favourably with the tart raspberry juice flavours. Lactose sweetness helps to cut through the acidity of the profile, while wheaty, gritty pale malts provide a neutral baseline that soon fades into the off-dry aftertaste. Light-ish in body, with carbonation that starts off brisk and lively, softening only slightly by the time I've sipped my way to the bottom of the glass.

Final Grade: 3.68, a B grade. Last Best's Berry Smooth isn't what I'd call an amazing, must-try BW, but it's still a respectable stab at the style that I wouldn't mind drinking again. The funky, footy aspect of the nose might rub me wrong, but other than that I found this to be an acceptable light sour ale - maybe not quite on par with some of the Ontario equivalents, but at least in the same general neighbourhood of quality. If nothing else, it's the best Albertan beer I've tried since leaving Edmonton.

Pours a lovely pink with a tremendous pinkish evanescent head. Smell of wet grass and raspberry. Tastes of raspberries with some malty sweetness. There is a nice balance between sweet and sour and the beer is quite refreshing. I do find it to be a bit watery. It would be the thing to drink in the back of a pickup on a farmers road!

Bottle from the mixed pack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazy dark pink with good head. Lovely raspberry nose. Crisp, tart finish from a medium-light body. Very enjoyable. My favourite in the pack so far.

 

 

 

Bottle: Poured a pale reddish color ale with a medium foamy head with OK retention and limited lacing. Aroma of tart berry notes with some residual sugar notes. Taste is a nice mix of tart berry notes with some lactose notes is refreshing. Body is light with medium carbonation. Limited complexity but well brewed and refreshing.