<b>Date:</b> 12/04/2005<br /> <b>Mode:</b> Draft<br /> <b>Source:</b> Brewpub, San Clemente, CA<br /> <br /> opaque maroon, thin fine pink head, sweet tart raspberry aroma, light sweet raspberry flavor, not too sweet, very drinkable for a fruit beer<br /> <br /> <b>Aroma:</b> 6/10; <b>Appearance:</b> 6/10; <b>Flavor:</b> 7/10; <b>Palate:</b> 8/10; <b>Overall:</b> 14/20<br /> <b>Rating:</b> 3.4/5.0<br /><b>Drinkability:</b> 9/10<br /> <b>Score:</b> **4<br />

Draft, Dec 05. Looks like raspberry juice if I ever saw it. Huge raspberry aroma with a nice amount of sweetness. And not candyland sweet, thankfully. Sweet uptake, full of raspberries, kinda onscured any real malt components to the flavor. Slightly tart finish. Decently done.

<i>&#40;Draft: Pizza Port in Carlsbad, CA&#41;</i> The ’tender pours up and sets in front of me a pint of brilliant red liquid that is quite a sight to behold, and it looks like unfiltered cherry juice. A strong aroma of real raspberry tells me this isn’t a cherry beer, however, and isn’t too sweet or sugary. Should be a good one! But unfortunately, raspberry beers often disappoint me, and after getting my hopes up, so it happens once again. Less flavorful than I expected after admiring the nose for so long, it’s lightly sweet with mostly authentic raspberries in the flavor, but little else comes out. The biggest problem is the raspberry flavor tastes watered down and then fades off the palate way too quickly. Light-medium body on each sip, but it really thins out in the finish. Well-carbonated and clean on the palate. The initial inch-tall, pinkish-white head has proven to be exceptionally long-lasting, and leaves a dense, full curtain of lace on the glass. Looks and smells great, and even the raspberry flavor is nice, but if only this beer finished better...

Tap&#64;brewery. A nice surprise I might expect end of summer, but not in February! The girl likes it a lot, which is good because it gives her something to do while I try beers. Cloudy raspberry colored with an antique white head that laced like crazy &#40;the only one of 4 beers&#41;. Aroma is light, a bit musky and dominated by raspberry. Mouth is light and semi-fizzy like cider. Flavor is clean, raspberry and has a little bit of musky funk and a touch of malt character. It’s almost not beer. Tasty and refreshing with strong fresh berry flavor.

On tap in San Clemente. Hazy pomegranite coloring with a tall, slightly pinkish head. No surprise aromas - sweet candied raspberries are this beer’s namesake. Flavors are slightly sweet and not very acidic, almost to the point of being a bit strawberry. Highly carbonated texture; the finish is fast and watery with a bit of corn at the end.