Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale

Brewed by Great Divide Brewing Company
Style: Fruit Beer
Denver, Colorado USA

Bottled: kind of aged this one, waiting on it...for some reason. Pours a ruby color with a white head that lasts. Smells of berries and tastes like the best fruit beer I have ever had. Im not a big fan until this beer and probably only this beer!

From a bottle at the brewery, bright brown color, with a white head, sweet raspberry purée nose with a note of blackberry fruitiness, with a light toasted malt note, with a faint tart, caramelized aroma follows through on a medium-bodied palate with a grainy, toasty malt, raspberry character, with a hint of toffeeness, a mild acidic, tart, wildberry flavor, leading towards a lingering light raspberry, hop bitterness finish.

Bottle: Poured a pinkish red color with a thin white head. The aroma was of raspberries. The flavor was watery raspberries, but a little weak in the flavor. Overall, could be better.

Bottle. Pours a ruby red with a light off white head. Raspberries, sweet like a fruity soda pop. Very sessionable brew.

12 oz bottle from a sixpack from Party Liquors (Steger, IL). Poured a deep dark amber tinged reddish purple. It looks pretty good. Pours with a huge billowy head that cakes there, and then begins to dissipate. Doesn’t lace as well as expected. Aromas are largely raspberry, some notes of malty sweetness mixed in, but largely raspberry notes (Not cloyingly sweet). Taste start similar, a nice genuine raspberry taste that moves to a some decent bready, biscuity sweetness. The beer moves to a very dry bitter finish, keeping away from any overpowering sweetness I may have expected. Different than expected, no overpowering sugary mess, decent. Might be better a touch fresher as the finish was detracting a little for me. A bit stale, perhaps.

Draft from Brewgrass Festival. I’m not sure this is worthy of being served in a flute. It’s definitely better than most mass-produced fruit beers, but it’s no raspberry lambic or Raspberry Tart. Tastes like a Mexican amber with a good deal of raspberries thrown in. The raspberry taste is nearly authentic but not as strong as I like. Just okay, but much more drinkable than most of its style.

lighter and not very complex, but does offer the rasberry fruit backgrounds which compliment a hot days lunch.

Pours an amber mahogany with a quickly dissipating head. Aroma is of raspberries, butter, and dust. Medium bodied. Taste is of (drum-roll) raspberries followed by a wet bready interlude and a very dry finish. Fruit beer can be tasty when done right. This one needs a bit more malt depth for it to work but it is better than I expected.