The next selection for The Great Beer Challenge 2013 was Oaken Barrel’s Razz-Wheat; from the brewer’s website:
“This Americanized version of a Belgian fruit beer has maintained a strong balanced following throughout its celebrated history which includes a silver medal in the Great American Beer Festival. Razz-Wheat receives its award-winning flavor and eye-catching color from fresh Oregon raspberries. This beer provides a refreshing finish aimed at your sweet side.”
Oaken Barrel Brewery Razz-Wheat
This was my 2nd choice for the challenge because I was really hoping for a refreshing raspberry flavor, and honestly I was just getting over the horrible plague-like cold that’s been going around. It sounded tasty and like a good way to self-medicate 🙂
Upon opening the bottle, I sniffed it…had the usual beer smell with a hint of raspberries. I poured some into a glass to check out the color – I don’t know that I’d say it was as they described on the website, but it had a slight raspberry tint to it. The first sip was great – raspberry flavor was pretty good. I managed to get through 3/4 of the bottle before I gave up though – the flavor just got to be too much for me! I think it would be really good ice cold, though – mine was just slightly more chilled than room temp.
All in all, I’d get this if I were at a restaurant, or in one of these mix-and-match packs again, but I don’t think I’d buy a whole bunch of it at a time.
Disclaimer: I’m reviewing these of my own will, and all beverages were purchased with my own money. I was not contacted by any of the companies mentioned, nor am I being compensated in any way for these reviews.