Friday 29 September 2017

Death & Taxes Raspberry Radler

Happy fifth anniversary to my wonderful spouse! You challenge me, impress me, and inspire me everyday.

When I spotted the cool 473mL cans of Death & Taxes Raspberry Radler on the shelf at my local store, I immediately bought two--one for myself, because I love raspberries, and one for the Bitter Wife, because she's the Radler Queen.

Brewed in Gravenhurst, Ontario, by Sawdust City Brewing Co., this 4.3% alcohol brew is made raspberry purée and a very light ale. The beer has a hazy pinkish gold hue and pours with a fluffy off-white head.

Bitter Wife: Smells like beer--not as juicy as expected, and with only a faint raspberry note. The flavour tastes as though there are real berries in it--like raspberry juice. Like they've taken a lager and poured raspberry juice into it--but the tastes don't blend very well. It tastes as though there are two separate components. Drinkable, but it could use some additional boldness, crispness, and tartness. They're not really taking full advantage of raspberry. It's not a radler for people who like radlers craft beer. It's not flavour-focused. If you think of it as a beer, there is an appealing fruity edge, like a bear wearing a funny hat, but pointless as a radler.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.

Stout Man: Unlike the missus, I found Death & Taxes to have a fairly assertive, sweet raspberry jam nose. There is a very thin mouthfeel that is not nearly as crisp and fizzy as I wanted and expected. The taste is mild, but has a nice, slight tinge of berry sweetness. Bitterness is nearly non-existent in this one, and there isn't abundant tartness either.

For me, D&T was a bit of a flop. It had some nice elements, including a refreshing quality, great strength for a radler, and a very pleasant scent, but overall it was too thin to hold my interest. It has a vitamin water quality that underwhelmed. I might have felt differently if it were 30 degrees out and I was sitting on a patio, but in my living room in early September, it didn't make a lot of waves.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10.

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