As Promised - BrewPastor's Raspberry RIS - 888
Aroma – Just like BP’s original RIS I’d had on opening night, the aroma was pure dark chocolate…but wait. There was something on the back of my sinuses that was a little different. Very pleasant. Not too obvious, but definitely there. Those raspberries were signaling their presence. Again…not too obvious, and if I didn’t know they were there, I might not know what it was. This was definitely going to be something special.
Appearance – Just like you’d expect. Ink black. The head poured a deep copper color and was very thick. Not a big head…but very rich. The head dissipated down to leave a nice residual swirl on top of the beers surface. A slight swirl of the beer in my goblet showed the nice oil like lacing of the beer. I could see that this beer was going to have plenty of “chew factor”.
Flavor – A truly good beer can broadcast what it’s going to taste like through the aroma and appearance. In this case, I was not disappointed. One small sip and the dark chocolate flavor was immediately satisfying. Balancing out the smooth sweetness was the firm bitterness and the slight, comforting alcohol warmth. All three components came together perfectly…but wait. There it was again. Those raspberries were not to be ignored. Very subtle flavor. The raspberry hit me right about mid-palate. Very good. Very rich. And if it’s possible…those raspberries made the beer very…refreshing. This was a nice blend of dark chocolate and a hint of raspberry flavor. It was very difficult not to drink this beer too fast.
Mouthfeel – Perfect. Chewy. The kind of dark silky mouthfeel that makes you want to swirl every sip around in your mouth before swallowing. This really went beyond mouth feel. This beer felt good going all the way down. Even the slight…shall we call it…beer exhaust after each sip was a pleasure. Carbonation was low to moderate…PERFECT. The warmer the beer got sitting in the glass, the creamier it became.
Overall Impression – As I said in a prior post, one of the best beer experiences I’ve ever had. I stretched this single 12 ounce serving of beer out over 45 minutes…and was a little sad at the last sip. I doubt I’ll ever see another bunch of raspberries at a market and not think of the Pastor’s Raspberry RIS.
This is definitely “best-in-show” caliber and would easily score in the mid –upper 40’s
Well done.