MADKAP Busted Raspberry
Big Rig Brewery

473 mL can from the LCBO; best before May 13 2025 and served slightly chilled. No mention of Big Rig on the can itself, though it does seem to have been brewed there. Possibly a contract brew, or maybe Big Rig registered a numbered corporation for the Madkap label.

This pale salmon pink-coloured brew starts out with an inch of bumpy, foamy white head that lasts for two minutes, tops. It leaves behind a narrow ring of lace, in addition to a frothy collar and filmy cap - at least it looks like a beer. Light raspberry fruitiness on the nose, with suggestions of grape drink and grainy malts.

Straightforward stuff - raspberry candy sweetness initially, with hints of graininess and raspberry pastry filling. Candy sweetness lingers into the aftertaste; rather sweet, but it does a great job of masking its alcohol content. Medium body, with sharp, soda-like carbonation and some syrupy qualities that don't make for a particularly refreshing glass.

Final Grade: 3.3, miraculously squeaking out a B-. I don't even like Madkap Busted Raspberry that much, yet it's still one of the best malt liquors I've had to date. Now, let's be clear: this isn't marketed as a malt liquor, nor does it drink much like a traditional one, but functionally speaking? Yeah, it's radlerized malt liquor. This is not something I'd choose to drink again, but college students could do far worse.

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From my favourite but now permanently closed The Beer Store on Goyeau St. in nearby downtown Windsor. Canned May 13/25. My 8th beer from the Kanata, Ontario brewery, and 1st for 2026. Adamantly admired by Gracie the cat...

Oct 14 2024