Ramblin' Raspberry
Walking Man Brewing Co.

 

On tap in a 4 oz sampler glass at the Walking Man pub.

The only other beer that I have to compare this to would be Ruby from McMenamin's. The Walking Man Ramblin' Raspberry is a huge step up from the Ruby if you like this style beer.

appearance - red and opaque with a large frothy head and great retention

smell - huge tart raspberry and wheat profile

taste - echoes the smell but is much more robust, the raspberries taste fresh and refreshing, crisp with just the right amount of tartness, huge wheat body to back it up

mouthfeel - smooth, big carbonation, light/medium bodied

drinkability - smooth, flavorful, and highly drinkable, excellent summer/session beer, not many complaints

From the brewery:
Our wheat ale with tart natural raspberry flavor.

Served on tap at Walking Man.

Another great offering from Walking Man, this beer has light amber/golden color. Smell is immediately identifiable as raspberries, and then lemon comes through almost indistinguishably. Taste was light and refreshing, and the fruit comes through but not overpowering. Carbonation was high but not so much to make it bitter. Overall a highly drinkable beer. Drink this while mowing your lawn instead of Bud!

If you’re going to add a flavor component to beer, you might as well go all out and do it right. Half hearted flavors can sometimes detract from a beer more than they enhance it. Walking Man does this raspberry wheat ale right by not being shy with the raspberries. The aroma fairly bursts with raspberry. This same flavor comes through solidly in the taste.

WM’s menu suggests this is the same recipe as their regular wheat ale with an infusion of raspberry flavor, probably from a concentrate or syrup. I never compared the two directly though the ABV is the same (4.8%) and the color of this ale is similarly clouded lemon drop with relaxed, fine-bubbled CO2. Yeast flavors emerge along with a dry refreshing element. Clearly this is a wheat ale with an infusion of raspberry. It can’t be mistaken for a framboise, nor should it be dismissed as a novelty or a “woman’s beer.” I saw some of the biggest, burliest railroad workers pounding this beer on a sunny spring afternoon. And with good reason – it’s tasty and refreshing.

Ramblin' Raspberry was served at the Walking Man Brewpub, where it was described as a raspberry wheat. The beer was a hazy pale straw color, and was topped by a thin white head. The nose was delicate and enticing, presenting tart notes of very floral crisp raspberry essence. On the a palate, a firm and lightly tart crisp wheaty body quenches with moderated raspberry edge, leading to a refreshing tart-bitter finish that left wonderful dry and estery orange-citrus aftertastes. I find many lighter raspberry beers to be a tad obnoxious, but this one combines just the right amount of fruit with excellent wheat beer characteristics. The body was composed properly for the style and character of this beer. To recap: quenching-refreshing, yet very tasty with the right amount of fruit and tartness.

At no time did the raspberry become obnoxious or domineering.