Pink Drink
Hi-Wire Brewing

Appearance - Pours a blush pink with two fingers of bubbly white head.

Smell - earthy spicy yeast, spicy earthy and leafy hops, raspberry, banana esters, and wheat malts.

Taste - earthy spicy yeast followed by the spicy earthy and leafy hops. The raspberry is there but no sign of this "lemongrass" the can speaks of. The hint of banana esters and wheat malts round out the brew.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finishes slightly tart with the the raspberry lingering.

Overall - A brew that displays the raspberry portion adequately but lacks the lemongrass aroma and taste. Its as if the tartness of the raspberry overshadows the lemongrass flavour.

 

 

 

You gotta love a professional effort that knows exactly what it is. You could layer it with complex jargon, elegant whimsy or technical sayings. But then, in the end, the Hi-Wire brewers made baseically a pink drink- a simple and sour ale with raspberries for nothing more than what it is.

Thus Pink Drink takes its name down to a rosy appearance and a faint foggy haze. As a light, arid and cottony froth builds, its tangy scent is pleasantly acidic with red berry, citrus, cider and wine. A faint must of sourdough graces the nose and then the palate for a light and candied fruit early taste with a hint of hard candy.

The beer's simplicity lies in the way it effortlessly lets go of sweetness and any malt textures and allows the brazen, piquant acidity to shine. Rose wine, semi-dry cider, lemon, grape and gooseberry tease and taunt the tastebuds with the sourness of pink lemonade, sans its sweetness. Trailing into a tart and pleasantly sour late palate, the lasting impressions are of a raspberry sangria.

Medium light on the palate, the beer's effortless and pleasant taste leads to a session of leisure and relaxation. Light on complexity, the beer is highly crushable, refreshing, crisp and clean. A brief aftertaste of citrus and raspberry echoes softly on the retro-olfactory senses.

 

I'd had a can of Pink Drink sitting in my basement for a few months now - it was buried under a pile of cans that I keep meaning to drink or send out to friends. While the name was novel and always cracked me up a bit, I wasn't all that excited to drink it.

So I'm trying to clean out my cellar a bit at the moment, and Pink Drink was a prime candidate - I cracked it yesterday after a disappointing experience with a local IPA... and had a very pleasant surprise. Pink Drink smells and tastes quite a lot like a very fresh framboise minus any funk. The raspberry nose and taste are terrific. The texture and mouthfeel are just slightly thin, but the raspberry is quite full. I didn't quite catch any lemongrass, but I won't complain about that. The sourness is there, without a lot of tartness - and while I'd worried that it might be dry, it's not at all. Well done.

In the end, my only complaint was that I didn't have another can. Pity that this was only brewed the one time - it was quite delicious!

 

Appearance - Pours light pink like grapefruit juice with decent white head that quickly dissipates not much lacing.

Aroma - Nice balance of wheat, lemon/lime and a light raspberry. There is a light salty aroma and a little sweetness.

Taste - The taste is not as salty as I expected based on the aroma, more lemon juice and raspberry. There is also a decent amount of wheat. Light refreshing flavors.

Feel - light bodied, crisp prickly carbonation slightly dry finish.

Overall - A really great aroma I could use a little stronger flavors from the salt and raspberry but otherwise a solid beer.

Look: Poured into a snifter from a can. A striking pinkish-orange hue. There was a modest light pink head that quickly disappeared and left no trace.
Aroma: tart lemon, faint raspberrries, some wheat.
Taste: not as tart as expected - in the mild/moderate range with a nice subtle raspberry and lemon blend. The wheat gave it good balance. The finish was clean and slightly lemony.
Feel: between light and medium bodied with medium carbonation. Easy drinking.
Overall: I really enjoyed this. Crisp and refreshing. Large flavor and good balance.