Founders Rübæus
Let me start by saying that this is a style of beer that I usually do not like but.... I figured that coming from a brewery with the rep of Founders that it would be worth a try. Ruby red color with a pink tinged head. Smell is a very appetizing raspberry. The smell is sweet but it's not the sticky sickening syrupy sweet that you get in a lot of fruit beers. Somehow the sweet smell portrays a complexity that gives you the impression that you are about to try something special. The taste dosn't dissapoint, sweet raspberry up front followed by a tart sourness and a dry finish. Notes of cherries and some citrus zest also show themselves. I'm searching for the malt but it really never appears. Faint earthy hops finish at the very end. The dry finish is really the most surprizing part of this beer. The sweetness totally dissapears. 6.9% is completely hidden. Simply the best fruit beer I've ever had. I've finished this one off without any trouble when it would normally be a struggle. This is what this style should be and a great example of what a quality brewer can do.