Sly Fox Black Raspberry Reserve

Style: Fruit Ale

ABV: 8.0%

Serving: 750 mL corked bottle

More info: www.slyfoxbeer.com

Appearance: Pours a very dark ruby color. The head is a candy-like purple that looks similar to a Framboise of some sort. Gives way to a beautiful garnet/ruby body.

Smell: First to hit the nose is obviously an abundance of raspberry. Matter of fact I smelled it from across the room when I walked away. Has a tart feel to it. Underneath the fruit smell is a hint of roasted malt. The scent really is inviting.

Taste: Obviously, the raspberries barrel through full force. Tart fruit flavor with a malted finish. Tad of chocolate and maybe a dash of hops hidden underneath. I really expected a fuller bodied beer out of this. The taste is good, but takes a little to get used to. The tart-ness (is that a word?) keeps my mouth watering on each sip like a Sour Patch Kid. A little thinner than I expected.

Mouthfeel: Tart, mouth-watering. The carbonation adds a sharp bite to it.

Drinkability: Very thin-bodied. Could be very drinkable, even at 8%. Recommend as a winter beer or something to warm up with. Two or three in a sitting would be just about perfect.

Summary: I was a little disappointed in this beer. And I mean that in a good way because typically I absolutely love all of Sly Fox’s beers. I just think they could have done a better job in making a little bit of a thicker bodied brew. Not to say this is a bad beer or that it is one to avoid, but it falls short to me in a few ways…mainly because what I was expecting was different than the outcome.

Thanks for coming and suckling Daddy's Sugar Ball..