Aquarius Raspberry Stout
Shades Brewing

12oz can purchased at Rocket Market, high atop Spokane's South Hill. No freshness date, and, aside from the name and abv percentage, no information about the beer beyond "Ale Brewed With Raspberries" on the label.



When poured into the glass, this was a dark brown, virtually black, until held up to direct light, at which point a dark Ruby color can be seen around the edges. Good sized, light khaki colored head that took it's time dropping.

The aroma is dominated by the scent of raspberries. As it warmed, a slight, bitter, coffee like sent could be detected deep in the background.

Much like with the nose, The taste is dominated by raspberries. It's a bold, voluptuous raspberry flavor, certain to please fans of that fruit, among whom I can count myself a member. Unfortunately, it's a little too dominant, in that there's not much of a stout that stands out in terms of flavor here. There's a very slight roasted malt bitterness in the background, but that's pretty much all that's going on here.

Medium bodied, with a relatively thin mouth feel for the style.

If you're a big fan of raspberries, you'll probably enjoy drinking this at least a little, but if you prefer your fruited Stout to have some Stout flavor to it, you'll be disappointed as there ain't much of that here. While I do very much enjoy raspberries, I don't think I enjoy them enough to consider purchasing this again.