It is time for One more random fruit beer before I kick this thing into a new format. Said format is beers by brewery. It seems easier to keep track, and focus if I tackle one brewery at a time and move through every beer they produce. Though, I'll have to double back for seasonal beers but that's fine.
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| I didn't take this photo...stole it from The CBC |
OK! Today for you consideration and my satisfaction is Fruli!
Brewed in Belgium by the Van Diest Beer Company; this beer is a 4.1% ABV Belgian Wit beer brewed with the juice of strawberries. Before you scoff and pshaw at the mention of a strawberry flavoured beer, please note that this very beer claimed the 2009 WBA (World Beer Award) for World's Best Fruit Beer. I've got a really hard time not ingesting a fruit beer, so I hope I enjoy this.
Appearance: A very very light pink, so pink I initially mistook the colour as white.
Aroma: A very strong tangy sweet strawberry scent. That is all.
Initial Taste: Very light tasting on the tongue, it is also effervescent like a soda pop. It's also very sweet, but not overpoweringly sweet like say...maple syrup, but for beer I'd say it's at the top of the chart as far as sweetness goes. Of course it tastes like strawberries but it isn't as overpowering of a flavour as you would expect from the smell. It is slightly less overt that you would think. I do like that little bit of tang you get though, even though it is sweet. Along with a really short lived milde bitter taste,one more flavor comes through a bit...it's vanilla and it's pretty far in the background.
After Taste: Well if this was a blind and deaf test, I would assume I was drinking strawberry soda. that is until I get that unmistakable warmness in my throat that only an alcoholic beverage would bring. Um, I get a really clean smooth finish with strawberries.
Conclusions: I don't want this to sound insulting to any Fruli lovers or brewers (should they EVER read this); but I don't think I've ever had a beer that has tasted less like a beer. That's not to say I would consider it beer. I mean...if you use the same process what else can you call it? I like this beer, it's very tasty...there's enough to contemplate while drinking it. It isn't one dimensional at all which is nice, and it's also quite crisp and very very light. A perfect little appetizer, or even a desert beer...or just a treat on a hot day (like today: it is 32 degrees Celsius in my apartment as I'm writing this).
so there you have it! FRULI! Go try some, you might like it. If you see this on the shelf in your local beer store and you've got a few bucks changin' around in your pocket, don't turn your nose up and walk on. In the words of George Wendt:"What if it's good?" Take that beer in your hand, buy it, and get some place where you can open that beer and consume it legally.
By the way, a beer store is the only place you will find this beer in Canada. Except for ONE bar in Ottawa. According to frulibeer.com "Pub Italia" is the one place that serves the stuff. I don't know if that is on tap, or in the bottle, but by golly this stuff is hard to come by!
That's all for now! The following posts, I will be covering the Tree Brewing Co.
I'm off to get a white freezy.
Over and out,
The Parched Paige.
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