The Discreet Charm of the Framboisie

This earthy, complex ale poured a muddled, tawny pink in my goblet, with a pretty, light pink head and carbonation bubbles rocketing from the bottom of my glass at a frenetic rate. In the aroma, there were mature, aged raspberry notes combined with the traditional “horse sweat” of a Brettanomyces fermentation. There were also some straight-up sour notes that were reminiscent of a watermelon Jolly Rancher. It exploded on my taste buds with a refined mixture of light fruit, intense oak and sourness. Typical to the style, there was no hop flavor and very little perceived hop bitterness. The beer featured a long, very dry finish, with the high level of carbonation and oak/earth character providing a pleasant, lasting impression. This is a very difficult style to commercially brew, and this beer represents an outstanding example of a Framboise, and one that's not to be missed.