De Wallen

De Wallen is a "Barrel Aged Sour Framboise". It's brewed by Toronto, Ontario's Amsterdam Brewery. Having just read a novel set in De Wallen, Amsterdam's notorious Red Light District, when I saw this stuff on the shelf at my favourite liquor store, I jumped to buy it. It contains a solid 6.5% alcohol and comes in a 330mL bottle. According to the label, "Souring a beer is a risky endeavor, much like venturing into the red-light district of Amsterdam.

It's a cloudy, copper brew with definite reddish leanings. It has a very tart and yeasty sour cherry aroma. I think this stuff would make a nice introduction to sour beers--it's definitely tart, but it's not too sour. There are considerable fruit notes--raspberry, certainly, but also cherry--and a short finish.

This is a very nice take on the framboise. It's well worth your time.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

St.-Ambroise Framboise

I'm sure that I'm not the first to make this observation, , but as I looked at the cloudy red haze that is St.-Ambroise Framboise and took in the aroma of raspberry pie, I couldn't help but think that you'd be hard pressed to spell F-R-A-M-B-O-I-S-E without Ambroise.

This raspberry flavoured ale is a product of Montreal, Quebec's McAuslan Brewing Inc. It's sold in 341mL bottles and contains 5% alcohol. As I've already mentioned, the Framboise is reddish.  It is topped with a cloudy head that features a pinkish hue.  It's aroma is of raspberry--pie or jam.  There is considerable fruit flavour ably backed by a beery base.

Tasty and refreshing, this beer screams for warm weather. There's raspberry flavour from start to finish, but with enough hoppiness to remind you that you're drinking a beer. It's a fine fruit beer from a brewery that can seemingly do no wrong.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.

Amsterdam Framboise

Toronto's Amsterdam Brewing Co. makes a palatable raspberry-flavoured beer.  The Amsterdam Framboise is sold in 341mL bottles and clocks in at a punchy 6.5% alcohol.

The Framboise is a clear, candy red colour.  It has a creamy off-white head and considerable carbonation. It has a big raspberry aroma--it smells sorta like an old fashioned soda.  There is a bold raspberry flavour that starts sweet and then moves toward tart.

Like an actual raspberry, the Amsterdam Framboise walks the fine line between sweet and tart. However, unlike some other framboises it doesn't have a tonne of notable beery qualities. If you're looking for something fizzy and berry flavoured, this is your stuff. An interesting beverage, but not exactly what I was looking for in a brew.  Even if it isn't my cup of tea, it was a well-enough executed beer--one I'm sure would appeal to lots of people. Also, the elevated booze content is praise-worthy.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10.