This is number two in my All Hands series. The first one eventually came in at an objectively average rating of 2.5/5. Despite that, I actually thought the beverage was pretty good. It's hard for me to describe how I feel using the subjective rating system for this blog, and that's why I have a page dedicated to it. At 2.5, there's nothing wrong with it. At the same time, it has a lot to aspire to. There are a lot of really good beverages out there, and every brewery or distillery that falls short of a perfect five should be trying to figure out how to improve their wares.
First sip is about what I expect. It is sweet, filled with raspberries, and hides its alcohol pretty well. I wish it had a lot more lemonade than it does raspberries, though. Raspberries are the kind of flavor that tends to fill whatever room it's in. They remind me of onions or garlic with the way that they can take over and shove other flavors out of the way. As a result, it's fine. I had thought, based on the color of the beverage, that it would lean more heavily into the lemonade than the raspberries, but that is not what the first sip tells me. Maybe a gulp will.
Tip-in is raspberries ensconced in a sweet and syrupy bed of sugar with a hint of lemon and virtually no carbonation. The middle finally brings carbonation to the back of the mouth as raspberries continue to rule the roost. The finish is strangely tart and somewhat jarring as the alcohol punches at the very end in an uncouth and unexpected way.
Bottom Line: Will still do in a pinch.
2.25/5
