Showing posts with label Shock Top Brewing Co.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shock Top Brewing Co.. Show all posts

Monday, March 19, 2012

Shock Top Raspberry Wheat

Tasted for the first time Sunday night while making goose stroganoff for the company we had over. I had just arrived back from a day trip to Galena to visit my mom. Reviewed Monday afternoon while packing some stuff up, doing taxes and selling some homebrew equipment.
5.2% ABV

Appearance: Pour was bright yellow and cloudy. In the glass it appeared the same, with a straw color about. Carbonation is persistent and plentiful. The head is strong to start, but dissipation is quick to take over, diminishing its presence into a thin white layer of foamy bubbles. Prominent haze, but still some visibility.
Aroma: A burst of raspberry syrup and fruitiness erupts from the glass as the nostrils approach. Wheat undertones, but nothing as optimally aggressive as the raspberry flavor that takes center stage. I could have guessed coriander from the scent, as there remains a subtle hint of zest beneath.
Taste: Raspberry dominates, though it still is supported by a rich wheat character. Some grainy wheat husk is present, but expected. I find the Belgian yeast is a helpful component to the overall beer and supports the parallel between grain based malt and the addition of berry fruit. The finish leaves the mouth with a Belgian wheat yeast flavor, while still remaining refreshing and fruity.
Mouthfeel: The carbonation and the body of the beer are two different things. The carbonation is high, but the body is interestingly both soft/light but with a oily heaviness. The two combined leave a texture of frothy richness and a smooth complexion. The finish is lightly dry but with a glutiness cloy on the roof of the mouth.
Overall Impression: I was suspicious at first, but commemorative after the first cold sips. Certainly a beer for the fruit lovers, wheat lovers and, well, mostly women and those needing that one beer to enter the craft tasting world. Bubbly and refreshing while still packing a fruitiness that resembles and extract, but does well against its Reinheitsgebot ingredients.