Recently in Lambic / Fruit Category

My favorite fruit is the cherry. And luckily, cherries and beer are often a good match. One of my best experiences last spring was finishing off a pint of slightly sour cherries along with a belgian-style golden ale... "two great tastes that taste great together." This time out, it's a combination of a New Belgium ale mixed down with a Frank Boon Kriek Lambic.

Characteristics: Clear red color; very light body; light head but high carbonation; sour cherry flavors run consistently over a neutral base ale, with a tart finish.

Minor Gripes: Perhaps it's because I had a Flemish Sour Ale earlier in the evening, but I could have used just a touch of sweetness in this one. The thinness also takes away from the experience a little -- I don't want a cough syrup, but this beverage could use a little higher viscosity.

Bottom Line: New Belgium deserves big props for pursuing this direction -- melding one of its own brews with a tempermental cherry lambic. A little more weight (and a corresponding touch of sugar), and this entry in the "Lips Of Faith" family would be a grand champion to obliterate Lindemann's Kriek.

Rating: 5 / 10

Custom-brewed for Pianos, a small rock club on the Lower East Side (NYC) that once was a piano showroom and repair shop... this is a dense Belgian-style ale with a whole lot going on.

Characteristics: Cloudy copper color, medium carbonation and head, medium-to-heavy body, grapefruit flavors (but not Cascade hops!) dominate over a sweet, slightly malty middle section before transmogrifying into an American Pale Ale (a/k/a hop-infested) finish.

Minor Gripes: For the weight of this beer, grapefruit isn't necessarily the balancing note I would have chosen. Tough to pair with anything but a lighter weight American Pale Ale. Also hints at a high ABV content that couldn't be confirmed or denied from the tap handle.

Bottom Line: Certainly a creative beer, but not always successful. Grapefruit burps and that late hoppy shift are not welcome. Worth sampling, though, especially if you're looking for a heavyweight counterpart to all those brews trying to outperform Sierra Nevada.

Rating: 4.5 / 10 (before any bonus points for creativity and local focus)

I was fortunate enough to visit Shipyard a couple summers back -- good people with the goal of making good beers and an obsession with Fuggles hops. Their flagship brew is a good one, but the flavored offerings don't always make the grade.

Characteristics: Warm-gold color; light body with light-to-medium carbonation; a consistent straw-grass flavor dominates throughout, with some yeast and a slight squashy taste at the finish.

Not-so-minor Gripes: Pumpkinhead is extremely thin and carries zero flavor when cold -- it starts out somewhere around a light American lager. It opens up a little over time, but there's ultimately not much to find. The progression or evolution in the flavor is very slight over the course of a swallow or a full glass.

Bottom Line: I prefer my pumpkin beers to be a little heftier, with cinnamon and nutmeg hints (though not as thick as a winter ale). Pumpkinhead is too thin, like a Pale Ale that trades out some hops and adds some raw pumpkin to the mash tun. It's better than the Shipyard Blueberry (which was too sweet for me) but not the pumpkin brew I'd recommend.

Rating: 4 / 10

I was equally scared and intrigued when I saw this sixpack in the cooler. I'm no fan of Abita's "Purple Haze" but their fine Turbodog and Restoration Ale gave me hope that the strawberries would be kept in check.

Characteristics: Clear yellow gold color; high carbonation; light-to-medium body; opens and finishes with some strawberry and yeast flavors, with a mellow slightly malty middle and few discernible hops. The strawberry is "real," not sugar-coated, and adds a definite tang.

Minor Gripes: There's less going on here than the flavors would suggest. The tangy finish turns dry over time, leaving one to wonder whether a beverage was actually consumed.

Bottom Line: The strawberry is a novel (and novelty) addition to what would otherwise be a decent lager falling between pilsner and amber. That novelty softens the pilsner's crisp bite without adding the malty depth of the amber -- truly betwixt and between. I wouldn't turn one down if offered, but I wouldn't exactly seek it out, either.

Rating: 5 / 10

This beer first caught my attention as a new offering from Magic Hat. It's kept my attention thanks to some quirky elements -- sugar beet extract! -- and to the quality refreshment it provides. And compared with other Magic Hat summer-ish efforts, Wacko is a clear winner.

Characteristics: Deep pink color (like golden cranberries); high carbonation; minimal head; light body; opens slightly sharp and hoppy, with a sugary (but not syrupy) malt middle and slightly dry fruity finish.

Minor Gripes: This is perhaps too thin a beer, with the carbonation hanging on all the way to the very bottom of the glass like a seltzer.

Bottom Line: Wacko is a well-balanced summer beer, just right for humid, nasty evenings on a stoop or back porch hoping for a breeze. The sugar beet element is amusing, while the flavor flows smoothly from crisp to clean. Color me impressed (yes, pun somewhat intended).

Rating: 6.25 / 10