Framboise
Appalachian Brewing Company

 

Handbottle thanks to mj. Aroma is stunning and unique, with heavily vinous syrup quality. Detectable notes of wild fruit skin, earth and warm brandies. Definite tannic sourness perks up the nostrils. Pours a very cloudy crimson and cloak pour, soapy white edges. Beautiful. Flavor is tremendous, an average sourness. Not weak, not biting. But a gentle sweet tongue curbing sourness that helps introduce the pleasant, delicious candied cherry, light chocolate, long-lasting schnapps and bits of pit. Enjoyable all the way through, including variable nuances of cherry and raspberry character. Not particularly heavy on the framboise, but awesome red fruit flavor, plums and currants. The smack carries a secretly wild and earth feel, with great seed pithiness and dryness. Alcohol not detectable. Not even too sweet. Finally bites out with a minty hop leaf. Awesome. Not funky wild, just perfectly sour wild. Aroma could use a little straightening out.

Served at the Camp Hill location. My earlier review was lost in the re-shuffle of ABC's beers on BA.

The ale has the authentic look of a framboise, full-on reddish color with little head. The nose is tart, natural berries without any fruit juice present. The taste is pucker-ish, tart with a nice finish of raspberry. A surprisingly good offering from ABC. The tartness is the nicest factor, working over the tastebuds without pushing too much alcohol on you.

Sample courtesy of Axilla (thanks for the opportunity for this one).

Poured a cloudy red color with a small sized head. Aromas of raspberries and just all around berries. Tastes of the same berries. Started out lightly sweet and ended lightly tart.

Notes from 3/14/08

I had this a while back. I've found that I really like a good "Frambroise".

I found ABC's frambroise to be quite good. It was fruity, too be sure. And rich and sweet. But not sickenly so. Rather, I found it to be a very good blend of tartness mixed with fruitiness.

The color, aroma and body were all quite appealing. This is probably one of my favorite brews of ABC's. (Also partial to their Susquehanna Stout.)

A - Very cloudy, slightly ruddy red with a pink head and lots of pink lacing.

S - Fresh raspberries, not the berry's juice, but the smell of a pile of fresh red raspberries.

T - Only a hint of sweetness, fresh red raspberries, very tart and sour. The taste of that white vegetative thing the berries sit on is evident too. The flavor lacks any grain presence. Whatever was done here works beautifully.

M - Smooth, a bit acidic, thin, very refreshing.

D - Excellent, this is what a fruit lambic should be like. None of that sugary fruity soda water - just straight up berry flavor. This is the first ABC beer to really wow me. Definitely worth seeking out this one.