Imperial Blackberry
Lunar Brewing

 

This was mentioned as an upcoming tap at Lunar last time I was there, a month or two ago. I'm glad I was able to still catch it this time around...

The pint arrived with a creamy cap of foam, body was golden with a soft haze to it. Carbonation was slight but visible.

Aroma was malty and a little grainy, with a light blackberry tartness in the background. This carried through in the flavor, a mild level of fruity tartness with a slight prickly feel. Body was a little lighter than expected for being imperialized, but it made for easy sipping. The abv prevented me from having more than one, although it wasn't easily detected. It would be interesting to try a version of this using whole fruit...listed as an "Imperial Blackberry Cream Ale" by the brewer.

Served in a standard pint, the beer is a hazy peach with off-white lacing and good lacing.

The aroma is of blackberries, fresh malt and a bit of citrus (tangerine).

The beer has a nice but not overpowering taste of blackberry backed with fresh oats. There is also some slight pine taste, which adds balance. The flavors seem well balanced and not the least bit artificial.

The mouth is smooth and creamy. This is an easy drinker, but watch out for the 8.2%, which is not at all evident in the taste. Note the brewer lists this beer as Imperial Cream Ale, but given the ABV, American Strong Ale is not a bad slot to put it into.

The look of ambrosia. Nice and cloudy. Looks like some of that pectin was left for a reason. Very honey, sunshine, and banana peel like. Pineapple juice. Hard to see any bubbles. Nice aroma of fresh blackberries straight from the carton. A very mild yet tart fruit. The taste gives some more room to the caramel and amber malts in the brew. Its a little tart from the true blackberry flavor that I love. The palate was a little too carbonated for my liking. Worth a try while supplies last.