Brewery: New Belgium Brewing Company
Beer: Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale
Style: Fruit Beer
ABV: 6.5%
Character: Brown Ale fermented with Raspberry
Metal Connection: WINTER – Eternal Frost
New Belgium is a brewery that I have known about for a very long time, having Fat Tire Amber Ale as one of my early craft beers. They’re 1554 Black Ale was the next beer I had from them. Of course, since then, I have tried almost everything released and sold down here by New Belgium, and they have yet to really disappoint.
First thing I noticed was that the bottle said best before 17Feb13, and today is March 29, 2013. Hmmmm, oh well, whatever. Drink away!
Using my Deschutes Black Butte Porter pint glass, the beer poured a reddish brown color with a thin white head, which quickly vanished, leaving no lacing at all on my glass while drinking.
Raspberries are definitely present in the aroma of this beer having a sourness tone. I can also pick up on a slightly strong alcohol smell mixed with caramel. Very nice on the nose! This aroma would make an excellent candle or something. Just saying…
The taste is just what it is, slightly tart raspberries. You know something, I was never a fan of sour beers, and lately I have really liked them and seem to crave the flavor of the sourness. Now this isn’t a true sour beer, but the raspberries give this beer it’s sour notes. On the back end, it leaves a slight caramel taste in my mouth, which compliments the sourness very well. Medium bodied, so it’s easy to drink, and leaves you wanting more.
This beer is released every year in the winter season, perfect for the cold weather, and holidays. Something interesting I read, is that New Belgium sends a worker to the Pacific Northwest to oversee the process of turning freshly picked berries into a pure juice to be added in fermentation. Oh yeah, and by the way, just cause I didn’t drink this before the Best Before date, it didn’t cause the beer to be unpleasant, but next year I will surely drink it it’s time frame to see the difference in taste, if any.
As for my Metal Connection, I chose the band Winter, and the song Eternal Frost. A song well over 5 minutes, full of slow doom/death, perfect to sit and listen to while enjoying a pint of this delicious beer! Cheers and Metal on!
Beer Metal Media 