Beer Review – Raspberry AF

• Name: Raspberry AF
• Brewery: Saint Arnold Brewing
• Style: Berliner Weissebeer
• Origin: Texas
• ABV: 3.7%

You know when a product has the perfect name to describe it? It’s a wonderful feeling. In the case of Saint Arnold’s Raspberry AF, the name is astute, concise and incredibly descriptive. It leaves little to the imagination, and then it exceeds your expectations. In the interest of keeping readers reading, I generally like to burry the lead. In this case, I’m gonna come right out and say it. This beer is magical.

Raspberry AF has a slightly cloudy, pale red coloration. Its carbonation is fairly low and it builds little head. It has a rich, raspberry flavor, a mixture of sweet, sour and tart. It was enough to get me salivating immediately. Saint Arnold makes excellent beer, and all signs pointed to the trend continuing. As a fruit-beer fan, I was like a kid on Christmas morning.

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It has an incredibly thin body that packs a TON of flavor. Oh man, the flavor. As someone with a well documented love affair with both wheat beers (EOS, JosephsBrau Hefeweizen, Priscilla) and fruit beers (Passion Fruit Kicker, Strawberry Lager, and Tropical Punch Bexarliner) this is one of the best combinations I have tried. The sour body of the weissebeer style is a perfect vehicle for the bold, delicious flavors of the raspberry. Each mouthful is an experience.

The sour weissbeer flavors rush the tongue, eventually followed by a delicate yet recognizable note of raspberry. Where Abita’s Purple Haze was a little disappointing in its lack of raspberry flavor, Saint Arnold got it just right. While I almost certainly sound like a massive fanboy right now, I just have to give Raspberry AF the credit it’s due.

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The aftertaste is near non-existent. Lingering just enough to keep your tastebuds primed and ready. There’s no build of any sensation, allowing for a consistently enjoyable experience from the top of the glass to the bottom.

The beer is an excellent choice for a sessionable brew. With a relatively low, yet fairly standard for the style, 3.7% ABV, one could string many of these together without becoming completely belligerent. Whereas fruit flavored and other atypical beers can lose their novelty quickly, I could honestly see myself drinking many, many of these over quite some time. I am stoked to see this as part of Saint Arnold’s year-round line up and I know I will buy this many, many more times.

TL;DR

BUY THIS BEER. I was absolutely blown away by the masterful combination of two of my favorite beer styles (and one of my favorite foods). I honestly am struggling to find a fault for this beer. If you see this, please do yourself a favor and pick it up. You can thank me later.

Rating: 9.5/10

Question of the Day

What is your favorite fruit beer? Comment below and let me know!

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Learn more about Raspberry AF on Saint Arnold’ website, Beer Advocate and Untappd.