R & R Raspberry Red
Mu Brewery

very fruity raspberry ale here, but its different because the base beer is not a blonde or a wheat, rather a red beer with quite a bit of malt flavor and grain structure. more interesting than the paler fruited beers, and there is a great interplay between the sweeter grain and the tart aspects in the red raspberries, nicely designed and executed both. good clarity to this, redder than amber from the fruit, but thats what the base obviously is. there is a nice vienna and crystal malt complexion at the base, a little sweet, a little bready. the fruit is jammy and forward but retains its authentic tartness too, and the result is a neat point and counterpoint with the malt. way more interesting and good than i expected it to be, it sounds like a weird idea, but the flavors are dialed in nicely. i thought it lagged in carbonation a little bit compared to some of the other mu beers, but i like the well hidden alcohol strength and the balanced finish. cool beer overall, i am really surprised these guys arent regarded any higher than they are on the local scene here...