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  

What you need to know

Website (Amsterdam)

http://www.amsterdambeer.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Amsterdambeer/

Twitter

@amsterdambeer

Kichesippi Natural Blonde

Kichesippi are one of Ottawa's more prominent microbreweries.  They have been around for about 5 years now with Natural Blonde being their first brew. I like a proper pale ale and I first tried Natural Blonde a while ago at the now defunct Rochester Pub and remember it being really good.  I have had it numerous times over the years but realized that I haven't gotten around to reviewing it yet, so here it is.  

It pours a nice blonde colour, typical of a proper ale or lager.  The nose has a quite noticeable hop presence to it, even coming from the bottle however the intro to the sip is a bit underwhelming.  I had been hoping for a maltier start to the sip but it falls a bit flat, however on the middle that sugary malt flavour comes to the forefront.  It's very sweet and clean through the middle, quite refreshing with an almost piney flavour to it.  This malty middle moves on to a surprisingly bitter and hoppy finish that adds an excellent level of complexity to what could have been a very simple beer.  For those who like blonde beers but don't like the overly sweet and fizzy nature of lagers this would be a good alternative.  It is a nice balance between blonde ale and pale ale.  It's nice to see breweries being successful and Kichesippi have not only had success with their beers, but with their Harvey & Vern's line of soft drinks as well, which are excellent.  Their 1855 and Wuchak Black are also excellent beers that I will review another time.

It's available at their brewery in Ottawa's west end, in six packs and tallboys at the LCBO and on draught in a variety of bars and restaurants in the Ottawa area.

Alc 4.9%

IBU 30

Rating: 3.5 Steins

What you need to know

Brewery address
866 Campbell St
Ottawa, ON K2A2C5

Website
http://www.kbeer.ca/

Twitter
@kichesippibeer

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/KichesippiBeer