New Belgium's Frambozen

When they say 'raspberry brown ale,' they mean it

by Matt Farley

Metromix

Before you crack open New Belgium's Frambozen, you need to ask yourself a question: Just how much do I like raspberries?

Brewers walk a narrow balance beam indeed when it comes to flavored beers. In many cases (we're looking at you, pumpkin microbrews), the average person really has to focus to detect the special ingredient behind the rampaging hops and alcohol. All too often, you end up with a standard stout or pale with a confusing fruity aftertaste. In even worse cases, the brewmaster goes nuts with the artificial flavors and the product tastes like it ought to be served in a juice box.

New Belgium is far too smart to fall into either trap. From the instant you pour it, you will have no doubt that Frambozen contains real fruit — the beer is actually a dark ruby color. When you taste it, the berries show up well before the malt notes announce themselves. It truly is what it claims to be: a well-made raspberry beer.

Which is a major brewing victory, as far as it goes. But honestly, how much raspberry beer can a person reasonably drink in an evening, or even a whole winter? For most folks, the limit will probably be one or two. In that way, Frambozen is like another holiday classic, eggnog: A perfect seasonal treat, but nothing you'd want to drink year-round.

Frambozen is available at many local liquor stores, as well as select Old Chicago locations (bottle only).