Raspberry Blonde Beer (Waitrose) By @SpectreUK

Colder weather has slowly been seeping in lately as the summer’s fairly warm and dampish weather comes to pass. That gives you a bit of an idea with regards to how long this Raspberry Blonde ale from Saltaire Brewery has been on my Foodstufffinds shelf. I reckon Cinabar bought it for me as a jest. This 4% volume craft ale has an infusion of raspberries in the brewing. It’s not that I don’t like flavoured beers, it’s that I so rarely like them that the thought of another one makes my tongue curl in apprehension...

Mainly pale malt was used at 85% in the brewing, as well as 10% torrefied wheat (or terrified of the raspberries), 5% caramel malt, with Saaz hops and some raspberries to distract me from the golden ale flavour. On opening the beer I was completely expecting an irritating pinkish liquid to pour into my beer glass. However the clue is in the title, Folks. This really is a blonde beer, which for some reason confused me a little. I guess that’s from the amount of summer fruits type beers I’ve tried in the past that have been various shades of red, like attacked the brewer’s throat for trying something different.

Although there is the unmistakeable smell of raspberries from the bottle, the raspberry flavour seems to come at the back of the taste. There is definitely beer here. Biscuity malty loveliness to start with from the pale malt and a subtle sweetness from the caramel malt, the hoppy bitterness strikes the tastebuds next from the Saaz hops following into the aftertaste with fairly subtle raspberry tones. It doesn’t play on the tastebuds too much, only the mind. This would make a good solid pudding beer, especially with fruitcake. I don’t just think this beer should be considered for summer’s months; just think of all those lovely fruitcakes to wash down during the colder months!