Founders Rübæus

After a nice, relaxing day at the beach, I decided to get a little homework done. You know what goes great with homework? If you answered, "Why, a refreshing beer goes just swell with homework, Corey!" then you are absolutely correct. Perhaps less compatible, however, is a big, high ABV beer. So tonight, the choice was Rübæus by Founders.

So, as anyone who has been following this can tell, lighter, sweet beers are not in my regular wheelhouse. I prefer big, powerful, bitter beers. There is something to be said, however, for someone who can make a fruit beer and do it right. And Founders nails it. Poured into a tulip glass, this beer is a nice, dark red. It has a very thin head that diminished almost faster than I could take a picture. Once gone, one could easily mistake this for a wine or juice. A good sniff of Rübæus reveals the sweet aroma of raspberries. I have to admit, at this point I was a bit concerned that this would be overly sweet. I was happily surprised, however, to find that the sweetness was very well balanced with a nice tartness. This beer showcases raspberry flavors very well without that cloyingly sweet flavor that many fruit beers posses. Still, I would not find myself drinking more than one of these, as I find myself wishing for some bitter notes despite myself.

To wrap things up, this is a very enjoyable raspberry beer, and I would recommend it both to beer drinkers and those who enjoy fruity malt beverages. I don't think either group would be disappointed.