Back Road Blueberry Ale

Brewed by Back Road Brewery
Style: Fruit Beer
LaPorte, Indiana USA

Very dull beige with lots of haze. Big, bold blueberry nose. Nothing subtle about this. Slightly spicy, with a strong but juicy fruit accent. Fairly dry as fruit beers go. Hints of yeast and light malt. A well-crafted example of the style...plus I seem to be building a history of liking blueberry beers.

(12oz bottle, thanks artusory) Small off-white head, clear amber body. Aroma is moderately sweet, blueberry syrup. Taste is medium sweet, blueberry, light cereal. Light-medium body, fairly clean.

Bottle courtesy of shawnm213. Pours copper with a white head. Smells of blueberries, buttery, tangy. Tastes of pepper, blueberry, soapy, spicy.

Bottle from Pat’s Liquors in Porter, Indiana: In all fairness to the brewer, I have to state that I do not like blueberries, and this, obviously, is meant to be rife with them. It poured an amber body with a respectable head. It smelled of fresh blueberries. Tasted of ’em, too, along with light caramelly malt and an off bitterness. Not badly brewed, but it’s blueberries.

Draft sample at IBGF 06. Dark amber color with a moderate frothy white head that diminished quickly with fair lacing. Moderate blueberry aroma. Medium body. Medium sweet bluberry flavor with a small bitter sweet finish of short duration.

Biased here since I love blueberries and this is my hometown brewery, but of all the blueberry flavored beers I've had (about 5), this one is the best. The aroma is just what you expect, the fruity overtones dominate but also allow the malt and mild spice smell to come through. A nice amber color and white head. This ale is somewhat sweet and not for everyone (I've had worst, like Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, yuck!). Could be a little more fizzy and a bit more hoppy and compete with the best of the genre. Still, a very good effort for a dessert beer.

bottle at DLD 2009 ... light amber ... sweet blueberry nose ... blueberry front ... little hop ... quite fruity ..

Sampled via 12-oz bottle at Dark Lord Day ’09 and available at table 2. Pours a Semi-clear, light amber colored brew with an average off-white head that quickly dissipates to a fine film and thin white ring with some spot lacing. Aroma of blueberry pancakes that overpowers the caramel malt or hop character. Taste has a good balance of blueberry and white bread malt with wheat and a touch of grassy hops. Finish is semi-sweet with a mild metallic blueberry aftertaste that quickly disappears.