Kawartha Lakes Raspberry Wheat

My loyal readers may note that I don't review many fruit beers.  It's not that they can't be good, it's that they are not necessarily my cup of tea so I don't drink too many of them.  I much prefer a malty stout or ESB to a fruit beer, but in the name of science and a raspberry wheat being the only beer in my fridge, I am giving Kawartha's Raspberry wheat a chance.  KLB (Kawartha Lakes) have seen their distribution expand across Ontario since they were purchased by Toronto's Amsterdam brewery in 2013, and while I'm happy to see craft brewers expand, this particular brew leaves a lot to be desired.  

You don't get a heck of a lot on the nose, watery with a hint of raspberry but not much more than that.  On the tongue you don't get much either, mostly watery with a hint of raspberry, there are some strong mineral notes as well.  As the sip progresses you get more in the way of the raspberry, but you never really get much in the way of beer taste.  In a blind taste test you would only know this was beer if someone told you as it tastes more like raspberry water than beer.  I had been looking for the sweetness of a wheat beer, but any wheat or malt flavour is nowhere to be seen.  As the sip comes to an end you get a bit of an acidic bitterness, but not a hoppy bittnerness, so the overall sip profile tastes like raspberry water that's started to go off.  I guess this could be good if you don't like beer at all, but in my opinion it's disappointment in a can (to quote my lovely girlfriend who had bought a few cans).

It's available at the beer store and LCBO across Ontario as well as some bars and restaurants where Amsterdam products are served, however I would avoid it if you actually like wheat beers as there are many better options. 

Alc 4.5%  IBU 14

Rating 1 Stein  

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