Samuel Smiths Organic Strawberry Fruit Beer

Brewed by Melbourn Brothers (Samuel Smith)
Style: Fruit Beer
Stamford, England

Way too expensive for cheapie, but I bought the farm anywho....5$ for bottle. Somewhat artificial aroma, fruity sweet and all. Looks like a hefe or a good lambic. I know its difficult to not amke anything strawberry more than artificial flavoring. Yes, quite fruity and a little too fruity....almost, but not quite, artificial. I don’t see anything but strawberry juice listed on the label. Almost too sweet and those of you that know my ratings, I nornmally really like sweet beers. Well, perhaps my taste is finally changing. Pretty good tingle on the tongue. Does hide the alky well. Finish is sweet juicy ale. Does not live up to the quality of the other SS fruit beers.

Hazy dark amber to near orange colored body. The head is lightly colored and has a slight peach tint. The inviting aroma has the obvious strawberries and green wood. The taste is near mouthpuckering sweet with lots of strawberry jam up front. Then as you get to the end, you get woody stem like tastes and even a little bit of ash. I got more and more of ash and sugar sweetness as I drank, nearly to the point of being cloying. Certainly a sipper. The woody notes in the finish got old after a while.

Bottle pours red amber with a pink colored head. As far as fruit ales go, not too shabby. Start with a decent ale and add good fruit, you’re bound to come up with something drinkable. Aroma is heavy in strawberries, and almost a slight vanilla cream quality. Easy drinking for those who like fruit in their beer. The nose is more much genuine than the palate, as the flavor has a sugar sweet type quality to it.

Pours hazy pinkish amber with a slight rosy head. Aroma is tart strawberry. Flavor is strawberries and a little cream, not bad.

Pours a semi-pink grapefruit into the glass, with a fizzy head that reduces to a thin ring leaving light soapy lace. The nose is of fresh strawberries, complete with seeds (this is the distinguishing factor between "fresh" and candied). The flavors, however, are indeed "candied" with a soda sweetness. There is a tart citrus note that lingers somewhere in the finish. The mouthfeel is again soda, somewhat thin and seltzery. There seems to be plenty of sugar, just not a lot of body. Tastes very much like a "malt beverage" one might purchase from a cheap grocery/licquor store.... Zima and Boone’s Farm both come to mind. Honestly, it’s really not the worst thing I’ve had, and in some regards, it’s a refreshing change from the commonplace. I can picture it as a dessert aperitif. I don’t pick up any medicinal/cough syrup flavors, as I don’t think the mouthfeel is thick enough for that. Nice change of pace.... I think deep down inside that I actually enjoyed this one a little better than my rating will suggest.

500 ml bottle from GM Liquors. Nose of strawberries and a very small tart note. Reddish orange with a medium off white head. Flavor is lightly sweet strawberries with a medicinal cough syrup note and a hint of tartness. Tastes a lot like the Melbourn Strawberry fruit lambic.

Bottle from Organic Brewers Fest... Poured reddish-pink with a whitish/pink head. Light and crisp. Tasted too much like cough medicine and artificial strawberries.

Clear bodied, orange, slightly reddish hue. Aroma is strongly sour strawberry. Taste is initially sweet and then a weird tart taste takes over. Very pleasant though. A little thin on the palate, but that’s not unusual for a fruit beer.