Game Day Beer Review: 21st Amendment Brewing Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Fruit Ale

(4.90% ABV) Poured from a can at a private club in northern New Jersey, in the exclusive town of North Caldwell, at a place featuring a luxurious, dark-paneled bar.  The beer was poured into a pint glass. Hell or High Watermelon appeared a murky yellow/gold color, with a blazing white head, as pictured above.

The beer smelled of wheat, yeast and some undetermined spices on the nose.

Unlike most watermelon beers, this one did not lead with its fruit -- it was all wheat on the initial tasting. The watermelon flavor is very subtle, and only comes through at the end.  We'll drink to summer with this one: B

Game Day Beer Review: Boston Beer Porch Rocker Fruit Ale

Boston Beer's Porch Rocker pours a clear-as-a-bell orangish gold color with a thin white head that quickly dissipates.

It smells of a combination of hops and a bright lemon scent. On tasting the beer, it starts out sweetish  but finishes moderately off-dry. The malt flavor is recognizable, as is the lemon. Its nowhere near as sweet as the shandies being turned out by some competitors -- namely Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy. Porch Rocker still tastes like a beer.

It's effervescent on the tongue and medium bodied. Sam has produced a beer that is eminently sessionable for the dog days of summer. B

Game Day Beer Review: Unibroue Éphémère Fruit Ale

(5.50% ABV)  Poured from the bottle into a goblet at the home office to celebrate a birthday.  The beer poured a brilliant golden color with no head whatsoever -- perhaps as a result of our extra-gentle pour so as not to disturb the yeast on the bottom of the bottle.

Éphémère smelled of yeast and apples -- there was lots of ripe fruit waiting to be unleashed from that bottle. By there was also an underlying funkiness to the nose -- we've seen it referred to as a stinky cheese, and we'd have to agree.  The funkiness was typically Belgian -- even though this beer was produced by one of our favorite craft brewers in Canada.

The taste followed the fruit -- apples dominated, but they were dry rather than sweet, and there was a little bit of lactic sourness to keep things interesting.  The beer was yeasty, with just a bit of spiciness to it, as well.

It had a thinnish mouthfeel with decent carbonation. We love this brewery, and they didn;t disappoint. B

Game Day Beer Review: Abita Brewing Purple Haze Fruit Beer

(4.20% ABV) Poured from the bottle into a modified pilsner glass.  Purple Haze pours a deep gold color, showing hints of reddish purple and only the slightest bit of head.

The smell of raspberries is definitely there in the glass, although it was likely muted by this reviewer's congested olfactory sense.

Sweet raspberries are the first thing one notices upon tasting the beer, although the finish is dry rather than sweet. It's highly carbonated and a nice beer with which to begin an evening. We found Purple Haze refreshing, and extremely solid for a fruit beer.  B

Game Day Beer Review: Dogfish Head Tweason'ale Fruit Ale

I was looking forward to this next beer from the very first time I read about Dogfish Head's new "in-between" seasonal, which also just happens to be a gluten-free beer.  Tweason'ale was designed to be released four times per year, in between this Delaware brewery's various seasonal offerings (think Chickory Stout, Aprihop, Festina Pesche, and Punkin Ale).  And so it was with great excitement that I spied it on offer recently at one of my local watering holes and determined to give it a go.

According to its release notes, Tweason'ale was brewed with a mild sorghum base rather than a traditional barley foundation, and offers vibrant strawberry notes, while also featuring the addition of a malty buckwehat honey.

Poured on tap into a pint glass, I found Tweason'ale a deep golden color, with a reddish tinge.  The picture above makes the beer appear a lot darker than it otherwise should -- what can I say except the lighting was fairly low in the bar where I drank it....   The pour also featured a reasonable sized head that faded quickly into oblivion.

Tweason'ale smelled sweet, almost like candy. The smell of strawberries was also clearly there.  The strawberry was a bit more muted in the taste, but still definitely there.  I also got some strong honey notes. 

It's definitely different from most beers, and maybe lacking that certain bit of depth you might expect to find in a barley-based beer.  It was decently carbonated, maybe overly so.

Nevertheless, I like these guys: they consistently push the boundaries of how we should think about beer.  I could easily see where this would be refreshing on a hot summer day -- of which we have quite a few in Florida: B+ 

Game Day Beer Review: Sebago Brewing Bass Ackwards Blueberry Ale

(4.00% ABV).  Served on draft in Maine, Bass Ackwards Blueberry is probably a better name for a beer than it is an actual beer.  But it's not all bad.  It poured a clear, golden color, with a smell of pure blueberry pancakes. Actually made me kind of hungry for breakfast, as a matter of fact.  Good thing we were staying at a Bed and Breakfast...!

The taste was actually better than I expected, not complex and very clean.  It was all blueberry, and highly carbonated. It's definitely drinkable, but probably best for Summer: B.

Game Day Beer Review: Short's Brewing Strawberry Short's Cake Fruit Beer

(5.0% ABV).  Poured on draft at the Short's Brewpub in Bellaire, Michigan, Strawberry Short's Cake appears a reddish-brown color with virtually no head.  The beer's dominant smell is strawberry syrup, slightly artificial, followed by a secondary scent of grapes. The taste follows the scent, with the addition of a vaguely coffee-like finish.

I'm also getting as much of a grape flavor as I am strawberries, as I drink it a bit more. Consequently, this beer is not as sweet as might be expected, and probably sessionable if you're looking for something lighter. It's not Short's best beer, but I give them definite props for trying something different: B.

Game Day Beer Review: Samuel Smith's Organic Strawberry Fruit Ale

Sam'l Smith's Organic Strawberry Fruit Ale (5.20% ABV). Pours a murky, deep honey-colored yellow with little to no head. The beer smells of strawberries -- overwhelming strawberries. It tastes of strawberries, too, and apricots. Organic Strawberry Ale is carbonated, but also a bit syrupy. It's definitely not sessionable, but it's not cloyingly sweet, either. It's a contrast, and very good for the style.  Think hot weather and a change of pace, and you'll be on the right path: B.