Butter Beer
Spanish Marie Brewery

Drank from a can purchased at Fort Point Market, Boston, MA
Served in a tulip

Wow, what a strange looking “beer.” It poured a cloudy, medium bodied, pale straw yellow hue and was topped by a mass of large, sticky white bubbles that quickly dissolved. In the glass, the beer had a shimmery, oily looking quality to it. Interesting.

Cream soda dominated the nose. Loads of butterscotch too. Vanilla was also quite apparent. Coconut and pineapple also came through strong. This reminded me somewhat of suntan lotion or a piña colada. Touch of milky lactose. Despite the overall sweetness, the aroma was surprisingly balanced and enjoyable.

Cream soda again came through strong in the flavor profile. Sweet but not excessively so. Loads of vanilla too. Butterscotch was also apparent. Moderate amount of coconut in the center, along with some tart pineapple notes. Like the aroma, the flavor profile was definitely reminiscent of a piña colada. More lingering pineapple-like tartness and acidity on the back end and the finish. Vanilla was again detectable after the swallow.

The mouthfeel was medium-thin bodied and contained a fizzy but soft effervescence. Somewhat similar to a hard seltzer and less soda-like than I anticipated.

Despite containing cream soda, caramel, vanilla ice cream, butterscotch and whipped cream, this beer was shockingly well balanced. Spanish Marie’s fruited sours often verge on ridiculous, but this one was less-so compared to the others I have tried. At $7 a can, I would not go out of my way to buy this again, but I enjoyed it for what it was.