Santa Cruz Mountain Organic Olallieberry Cream Ale

Draught at Sausagefest ’09. Clear orange-gold color with almost no head. The aroma is mostly tart berry that manages to be less than vivid, though still pretty nice, and is backed by a light graininess. The flavor is light and dry with a light tartness, light berry flavor, and a faint grainy sweetness. Light bodied with a smooth texture. Pretty pleasant on the whole. with a nice lighter berry flavor that is not too sweet or dominating. I actually would have tolerated the berries to be a little more forward as they are my favorite kind.

Hazy golden color with a faint purplish hue. Smell is dominated by berries, tart and sweet. Taste is a bit heavy on sweet berry. I can’t taste any hops, and the malt profile of rice, wheat, and barley makes for a light and grainy flavor. The wheat also contributes to a nice creamy and smooth mouthfeel. Drinkability is hindered by the surprising 7% alcohol and by the unrelenting sweetness. This beer is kind of gimmicky but at least it’s brewed with an experimental spirit and organic ingredients.

Sampled during happy hour at the brewery. Very nice for a fruit beer as it did not have too heavy fruit infusion, but just enough subtle fruit undertones. Color was cloudy hefe with a slight pink hue. Was very smooth going down and worth a try while its still around.