Blackberry Ale
Grand River Brewing
- From:
- Grand River Brewing
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Fruit and Field Beer
- ABV:
- 5.6%
- Score:
- +8 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.15 | pDev: 4.76%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Jun 09, 2015
- Added:
- Mar 15, 2015
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Rated by TerryW from Canada (ON)
3/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
3/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
To my mind a fruit beer really needs to have a bit of tartness to work. Blueberry, blackberry just ain't there. Pretty thin and light.
Jun 09, 2015
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.3/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
3.3/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery; there is a spot on the label for a 'bottled on' date, but nothing has been stamped next to it. This seems to be an updated version of their old Blackberry Wheat Ale - without the wheat, obviously. Served well-chilled.
This highly effervescent brew pours a foggy, golden 'strawberry-blonde' hue, topped off with an inch of fluffy, foamy, sparkling white-coloured head. It gradually settles into a more compact, creamier cap and collar. Superficially, it resembles a regular blonde ale, and honestly, the aroma might not be enough to convince me of anything otherwise. Suggestions of both black- and blueberry are noted on the nose, with some dull, grainy pale malt sweetness in the background. It's uninspiring, but otherwise clean and inoffensive.
The flavour profile falls along similar lines. A backbone of grainy pale malt and honey sweetness is accompanied by slight hints of blackberry flesh, as well as a faint blueberry tartness. It finishes with a touch of berry skin/seed bitterness, but the aftertaste reverts back to a grain-husky sweetness, leaving an odd, bland flavour behind on the palate. Medium-bodied, with low carbonation levels and an exceptionally smooth, satisfying feel in the mouth. While I would not consider this to be a particularly great-tasting fruit beer, the spot-on mouthfeel manages to make up for that, somewhat. It's very easy to drink, and reasonably enjoyable to do so.
Final Grade: 3.3, barely eking out a B-. Nope, this one just isn't doing it for me. Grand River's Blackberry Ale isn't a bad beer - it's just not one that I have much interest in. For me, the highpoint here is probably the mouthfeel, which happens to be near-ideal for a mid-abv fruit beer - but the very weak showing from the berries themselves is quite disappointing, and this brew just doesn't have anything else going for it flavour-wise to regain my interest. A decent blonde ale with a very mild fruity twist; if that sounds like it's up your alley, then by all means give this one a shot.
Mar 16, 2015This highly effervescent brew pours a foggy, golden 'strawberry-blonde' hue, topped off with an inch of fluffy, foamy, sparkling white-coloured head. It gradually settles into a more compact, creamier cap and collar. Superficially, it resembles a regular blonde ale, and honestly, the aroma might not be enough to convince me of anything otherwise. Suggestions of both black- and blueberry are noted on the nose, with some dull, grainy pale malt sweetness in the background. It's uninspiring, but otherwise clean and inoffensive.
The flavour profile falls along similar lines. A backbone of grainy pale malt and honey sweetness is accompanied by slight hints of blackberry flesh, as well as a faint blueberry tartness. It finishes with a touch of berry skin/seed bitterness, but the aftertaste reverts back to a grain-husky sweetness, leaving an odd, bland flavour behind on the palate. Medium-bodied, with low carbonation levels and an exceptionally smooth, satisfying feel in the mouth. While I would not consider this to be a particularly great-tasting fruit beer, the spot-on mouthfeel manages to make up for that, somewhat. It's very easy to drink, and reasonably enjoyable to do so.
Final Grade: 3.3, barely eking out a B-. Nope, this one just isn't doing it for me. Grand River's Blackberry Ale isn't a bad beer - it's just not one that I have much interest in. For me, the highpoint here is probably the mouthfeel, which happens to be near-ideal for a mid-abv fruit beer - but the very weak showing from the berries themselves is quite disappointing, and this brew just doesn't have anything else going for it flavour-wise to regain my interest. A decent blonde ale with a very mild fruity twist; if that sounds like it's up your alley, then by all means give this one a shot.
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