Well I'm happy to say this review is one that I had originally not planned on writing. I have been searching for Frambozen since I found out it was ready to be shipped out. I checked New Belgium's website and was under the assumption that this brew would not be making it to the fine state of Illinois this year. Fortunately, as fate would have it, I journeyed into one of the liquor stores that I rarely visit and as I was searching the shelves for something good, the last six pack of Frambozen caught my eye. I was very excited because it's a beer I've been wanting to try for a while, and until I found it at this liquor store I had pretty much given up on trying it this season.
Frambozen pours a dark red, almost ruby color. Its a very warm and inviting color, very appropriate in my opinion for a Christmas beer. There is about a finger and a half of tan head and disappears pretty quickly and leaves a thin layer across the top of the beer. This is a little lacing on the side of the glass.
The scent this beer gives off is a mixture of malt and raspberries. There is a hint of sweetness from the malt and a predominant sour note from the raspberries. I thought that I smelled a little alcohol in the mix, but was unsure since this brew is only about 6.5% ABV. I also caught a subtle hint of earthy hops as I searched a little deeper. The raspberries really dominate the bouquet of this beer though.
I thought that this beer had a really interesting taste to it. The idea of a raspberry beer that is not a wheat beer is in itself an interesting concept. I was intrigued to see how the caramel malts would interact with the raspberries. I was very skeptical if I would even be able to make out more than a hint of the raspberries. My first sip of this brew was full of that raspberry sourness that I had smelled at first. The sweetness from the caramel malt is briefly present at the beginning of the sip before your palette is overwhelmed with the sweet/sour bite of the raspberries. I think enough caramel malt was used so that it balanced the sour of the raspberries to the point where it was a pleasant sour that one would get from one of the more mild Belgian sours. This beer definitely reminded of a sour with a sharper bite that didn't completely dominate the palette. Near the end of the sip the sourness mellowed out into the level of sweetness mixed with sourness that one would get from eating a raspberry without sugar.
This beer had a medium mouth feel, with a lot of carbonation present. The aftertaste was a mix of malt with sourness. I think the after taste is the only place where this beer kind of let me down. I felt like the flavors kind of separated after the sip was done, and I was left with this awkward malty/sour taste that transitioned into a malty taste after the sourness wore off. It wasn't unpleasant, it was just kind of strange and didn't reflect the rest of the drinking experience.
Overall, I enjoyed this beer. I think I may have over hyped it a little bit but it was definitely an interesting beer. I thought the use of the raspberries in a brown ale was very unique and made for an interesting combination of flavors and tastes. I would definitely recommend trying this brew if you can find it but I also wouldn't over hype it like I did.
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