D9 "Confectioner Raspberry Cheesecake" Ale

This is one of four. I got a four pack of dessert beers with pretty disparate claims about what they would taste like. After a quick search, I was unable to find a single D9 beer that I might have reviewed in the past. This concerns me greatly, as I'm am completely of the opinion that a brewer should establish themselves with the basic styles before branching into these little specialty enclaves. So, I approach it with reservations.

Looks like a normal brassy-copper colored beer except for a very slight dash of red that goes beyond what you might normally see in a copper coloring. There isn't much head, and it leaves a single layer of tiny bubbles right in the middle of the beer with physics dictating the ring around the sides of the glass. There isn't any lacing, and I don't expect it to come any time soon. The aroma is sweet caramel malt, berries, and a bit of coriander.

First sip is a berry beer. If there is anything other than berries in it, I can't taste them. Are they raspberries? Well, that is what the can would have me believe, but I wouldn't be able to pick them out of a berry lineup. I can't disagree with them, though, and I'll go with raspberries. A gulp will pick out the flavors better than this sip.

Tip-in is grains and agave sweetness with raspberries The middle erupts into a sudden influx of carbonation alongside light berries, gentle grains, and sweet smoothness. The finish is harsh berries in a pool of bitterness with an aspartame aftertaste.

Bottom Line: I hope the other ones are better, but this isn't horrific.

1.75/5