Backcountry Red
Matanuska Brewing

for some reason i thought this was just going to be a red ale, had no clue i was getting into something fruited. i get the desire to spinoff from their popular blueberry version of this, but this comes across as really cheap and forced and inauthentic. i guess it didnt help that when i asked an employee what kind of berries are in it, he said wild berries, when i pressed for what kind, he just said wild berries again, meaning obviously this isnt made with real fruit, like they are trying to fool the consumer, never a good thing when thats the starting point. the beer does in fact taste like candy, like a red jolly rancher that is baking away on a hot summer parking lot, really artificial. that said, its not a bad flavor per se, everyone likes candy. the beer is pale crimson toned, light in body and fizzy like a soda, definitely the color of wild berries, wink face. holds a nice head though and looks rather well refined. the aroma and flavor on this are melted red popsicle and fruit punch, straight up, pretty much no sign of grain, hops, or yeast, its sugary as can be, a little metallic, thin feeling, almost an artificial color tinge on my tongue like i sometimes get from intense red foods, hardly tastes like beer at all, but i dont totally dislike it, just more like a kids drink than a barley pop. ive been up and down on matanuska beers all along, but this feels cheap and even deceitful after my interaction with their people, it doesnt taste bad, but its not good either, and this is not the kind of beer i like to drink. somewhat of a turn off overall...