Tiny Rebel Stay Put Raspberry Ripple

 

Following my review of Tiny Rebel's Stay Put Mint Chocolate Chip, next up is their other Covid-19 lockdown limited edition marshmallow porter - Raspberry Ripple.

It's a very dark, almost black beer with a small, very loose beige head that pretty much vanishes as it's being poured.  My disappointment at the lack of head was quickly forgotten when my nose was hit with the mouthwatering aroma of raspberry ripple ice cream.

The taste isn't quite as strong as the smell but it's lovely.  Notes of tarty, sweet raspberries combine with vanilla and chocolate and it's like drinking ice cream.

It has a medium body with low carbonation that gives it a smooth mouthfeel and you get the added bonus of soft raspberry chocolate bubbles bursting on your tongue.   

The flavours are perfectly balanced to give a sweet, tarty easy-drinking porter and I thought it was delicious.  It's very moreish and I would buy more of these if they brewed it again.  If I could, Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Tiny Rebel Brewing, Newport Wales
5.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Tiny Rebel

BrewDog Puppy Love

 

A milkshake IPA containing lactose, Puppy Love is a limited edition Valentine's Day beer from BrewDog.

It's a hazy deep yellow colour with a small, loose, rapidly vanishing off-white head.  Once the head has gone, it looks like a glass of orange squash.  It has the most amazing aroma of fresh, juicy raspberries with a hint of zesty citrus.  

The flavour is quite light and it's very refreshing.  It's citrussy but there's no bitter pithiness at all, there's a definite hit of sweet not tarty raspberries and there's also a slight hint of tropical fruit that's almost perfumy like lychee.  Lactose gives an overall creaminess to the taste.  The body is thin and ever so slightly watery with low, firm carbonation.

With a lower than usual ABV for an IPA of 4.7%, it's very easy to drink and I really enjoyed it.  It's limited edition for 2022 but I hope it's brewed again next year.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by BrewDog Brewery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire

4.7% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery

71 Brewing Raspberry Mash

I don't drink a lot of sours so I really have to be in the mood for one and this limited edition raspberry and coffee mash from 71 Brewing caught my eye in one of Lidl's beer festivals.  Conditioned on Scottish raspberries and freshly ground Burundian 'Red Bourbon' coffee beans, it sounded so weird that I just had to try it.

It's a beautiful ruby red jewel colour but it's completely headless so it looks like a glass of raspberry pop.  It did produce a bit of foam at first but it disappeared mid-pour and, as it is unfiltered and unpasteurised, there is the possibility of a bit of sediment so it needs a careful pour.

There is no mistaking the aroma of fresh and juicy raspberries but it has a slight sour whiff that made me think of raspberry wine.  The hit of raspberries in the first sip is lovely; it's a fruity, tarty and sour flavour which is followed by a hint of coffee.  It's a very small hint though and I'm not sure I would have noticed it if I wasn't looking for it.  Although it looks quite flat, it's surprisingly well carbonated with a thin and watery body.

It's definitely a sour, so I have to give 71 Brewing credit for producing what it says on the can.  I just would have liked a bit more flavour as the raspberries take over but, because it's quite watery in body, it tastes quite weak after a few sips.  I'm glad I tried it but Ale not Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by 71 Brewing, Dundee
4.2% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.25/5

Find out more at 71 Brewing

Saltaire Raspberry Blonde

 

Saltaire's Raspberry Blonde is a golden yellow ale with a small, very loose, rapidly vanishing cream coloured head.  There isn't even a hint of a  bubble after a few minutes which is a bit disappointing, but we shouldn't judge a beer by appearance alone so on to the smell and the all-important flavour.

It has a delicious aroma of raspberries, it's so strong and fruity that you'd expect the beer to have a red tint.  Raspberry is not as strong in the flavour as in the aroma but it's definitely there and leaves a nice tartiness in the mouth after the initial taste of malt biscuit, spicy hops and hint of bitterness.  Mouthfeel isn't great though, the body is quite thin and watery and it feels quite flat in the mouth as there is so little carbonation.

So where it loses in appearance and mouthfeel it gains in aroma and flavour and it's a very refreshing ale that would be a perfect summer beer, especially with a bowl of raspberries on the side.  It's not currently in production but I'd definitely give another one a go and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Saltaire Brewery, Shipley, West Yorkshire
4% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Saltaire Brewery