Raspberry Beret by ClubGonzo, Porter/Fruit Beer, 6.2% ABV, 44 IBU.
I love porters. I love liquorice. I love raspberries. My highest rated beer ever on Ratebeer is a dark beer with raspberries. So, a porter with liquorice root and raspberries, how can this possibly go wrong?
ClubGonzo’s Raspberry Beret, batch no. 54, contract brew no. 8.
It pours a very viscous-looking, somewhat murky and pitch black body with a small-ish brown head that leaves some lacing on my glass.
Raspberry Beret in the glass. And the Beer With Me rating table in the reflection in the glass.
The aroma is strong and is dominated by dark roasted malt, quite burnt for a porter (or at least, for my kind of porter). There is a good amount of coffee and some chocolate further back. I do detect some hints of liquorice as well, but I would never have guessed that this one is brewed with liquorice root. It’s a bit fruity, but I’m not able to pinpoint the raspberries.
But in the mouth… Wow. Simply wow. The salty liquorice, the raspberries, chocolate and coffee blend perfectly together, no one overshining the other. A magnificent mix of delicious flavours! The only thing I could wish for is a tad less dark roasted malt. The taste is moderate sweet and moderate bitter.
The mouthfeel is thick and creamy, this is almost like drinking a smoothie. The carbonation is soft, and there is some dryness in the long-lasting finish.
Conclusion: a close to perfect mix of raspberries and liquorice. Brew me an imperial version of this one at 10% ABV/75 IBU, and add some cocoa nibs and vanilla, and I’ll have a new favourite beer!
Aroma: 6/10 Appearance: 4/5 Taste: 8/10 Palate: 4/5 Overall: 15/20 Ratebeer score: 3.7/5.0
While I, to a certain degree at least, share your enthusiasm for the ingredients in this brew, it was mainly an idea by fellow Bergen Ølfestival board member Charlotte Reksten-Daae to create this fusion ale. However, it turned out well enough – provided that you were among the lucky ones who didn’t get the gusher bottles (of which there were a few, unfortunately). The regular bottles were rather tasty, however. I might take you up on the challenge of creating a crazy imp stout version of this! 😉