Copper tinged red colour, looking very similar to a rose’... strong smell of sweet rasberries. Weak head that dissappears quickly. Does not taste like beer. Rasberry, water. Mild sweetness... moderate tartness. This is ok to drink... but it is not a beer and is very hard to rate like one.

Fantastic artwork on the label, which would spark fascination even from the most ignorant of beer drinkers. It pours an excited, bright, auburn copper tinged with a pinkish hue. Lots of carbonation, the head raises up like a good wheat beer, its rocky and firm, lasts for the length and messes up the glass with froth. That is as good as it gets, sadly! Overly subtle fell raspberry nose, some earthy hints suggesting it contains fresh berries, with little else. Its got weak cordial flavours, tart but sweet, a little watery. It is strangely reminiscent of home-brewed kit beers with berries added. The alcohol shows on the swallow (that is odd!?!), and it yields a strange rubbery, smoky, phenolic mix in the fruity, tangy and slightly sour aftertaste. Nothing short of boring as f%^k, a brewery with a reputation seeded high amongst the many admirers best step up as this sits alongside Gage Roads American Wheat as another ‘WHAT WERE YOU THINKING’ trip down acid-quaffed lane. Crappola, if that is a word!?! (640mL, 28/12/08, The Beer Store Morley)

Really cool picture on the bottle. Nice drawings. Good packaging. The beer is all fizzy water and no beer. Seriously. Where was the beer in this beer? Next!

Red fizzy cordial was all I could taste. A fire engine or shirley temple? Was actually undrinkable. Where was the wit? If this is the best Malt Shovel can do in an attempt to be outside the square we are in big trouble.