Destihl Strawberry Blonde

Brewed By: Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works in Normal/Bloomington, Illinois   

Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Naperville, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 5.2%
Reported IBUs: 15

Mmmm...strawberry beers. About Destihl: 

Destihl is a brewery (Bloomington) and brewpub (Normal, IL & Champaign, IL) based out of the Midwest. Specifically, the middle of Illinois in the middle of the United States. Daaaa midwest. The brewery was founded by CEO & Brewmaster, Matt Potts, in 2007. Like many brewery founders, Potts started out as a homebrewer, and would eventually trade his law school education and law practice for those sweet barley suds. Destihl currently brews a myriad of regular and barrel-aged beers, including an increasing portfolio of tasty sour brews. For more info, check out their website. 

The Destihl Strawberry Blonde is an, "American-Style Blonde Ale with whole strawberries added." This one won the bronze medal at the 2012 World Beer Championships, and a bronze at the Great American Beer Festival in the fruit beer category.

Destihl Strawberry Blonde

Much like the Abita Harvest Strawberry, this beer pours into a hazy, orange body. This one is slightly darker than the Abita, and slightly less hazy too. I kicked up a couple of fingers of golden-tinged head, and the head retention is nice. The head looks to be creamy, and sustaining nicely. There is also some lacing.

The aroma here is much more nuanced than the Abita Harvest Strawberry...I'm getting strawberry jam, strawberry preserves, honey, and some bready biscuit notes. As I dig a little further, I'm getting some strawberry pie filling notes. It's very nice...simple, elegant.

This tastes very nice, and it does live up to its name. You get bready, honey-cereal, honey-biscuit, honey-cracker malt notes, with nice layers of strawberry jam, strawberry preserves, and slightly tart strawberry astringency (similar to what you might find in pie filling that isn't overly sweet). There also appears to be a pretty big hop note in here, with some floral hops showing up in the aroma and on the taste. I'm getting some pretty strong floral bitterness that almost veers into citrus.

This is pretty nice...albeit simple, much like the Abita Harvest Strawberry. This is light to medium-light bodied, with good palate depth and low complexity. At 5.2%, this is still crushable in the 6-pack format. Up front: hops, strawberry juice, strawberry jam, preserves, bready malts with honey; that rolls into more jam, slight hop bitterness, some fruity strawberry notes, strawberry fruit roll-ups, honey; the back end trails with malts, grain, cereal, lingering bitterness, and lingering strawberry candy.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this...I guess we will call it a tie with the Abita Harvest Strawberry. Although, this one is a bit more full in terms of the malt presence, which adds much-needed body. I guess what I'm trying to say is: I like it, and you should pair it with warm weather, any dessert that has strawberries in it, or a nice fruit salad. 

Random Thought: TGIF...I'm ready to sleep of the last parts of this cold I have this weekend.

Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager

Brewed By: Abita Brewing Company in Abita Springs, Louisiana   

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Fruit Beer, 4.2%
Reported IBUs: 14

And now for some strawberry beers. About Abita Brewing: 

Abita Brewing hails from the state where you can (and should) proposition your hot cousin. I'm talking about Louisiana. Abita was founded in 1986, 30 miles north of New Orleans. The brewery produced 1,500 barrels of beer during their first year, and by 1994, they outgrew their original location and moved to a larger facility. The brewery is privately owned, and operated by local shareholders. For more information, check out the brewery's website or their Wiki. 

The Abita Strawberry is a Lager brewed with Pilsner and Wheat malts, and Vanguard hops. Louisiana strawberry juice is added post-fermentation. Suggested food pairings here include desserts, salads, pastas, and a handful of milder and full-boded cheeses. 

Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager

This one pours out into a hazy and juicy body. It's the antithesis of most lagers, to be honest. The body has rich gold and yellow/orange tones, with tons of carbonation going up. This one kicks up two fingers of fluffy, white head; probably courtesy of the wheat and pilsner malts. It's a good looking beer, and the hazy and juicy qualities add a ton of intrigue to what could otherwise be filtered and boring.

On the aroma: big strawberry jam, strawberry fruit roll-ups, and fruit by the foot. The "cough drop" note that many reviewers drop is so cliche and overdone, but this one smells a lot like strawberry cough drops and those strawberry candies that come in the red and green foil wrapper. Actually, that strawberry candy note is spot on. REVIEW OVER. That's the aroma. Pack your bags and go home. Delete BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer. I guess you can pluck out some wheat notes in the back as well, but yeah.

The taste mirrors the nose, with a clean wheat and pilsner malt delivery that is upholstered with strawberry notes. This isn't quite as sweet in the taste, for better. I'm getting clean wheat, refreshing strawberry tea, strawberry currants, and hints of the strawberry candy that is so dominating in the aroma. This is somewhat creamy, with pleasant wheat notes on the finish.

This is a delicious fruit beer...maybe a little par the course, as this isn't overly complex and sort of succeeds at doing what it sets out to do without raising any eyebrows. At 4.2%, you can make a 6-pack of this disappear in one sitting. You could probably kill a 12-pack in an afternoon. I mean, you shouldn't, but you could. Palate depth is actually really nice...this is gentle, clean, and refreshing. It's light-bodied and works as a Summer beer. The only knock, again, would be the complexity. But for the style...ehhhh. This starts out nice with clean wheat and pilsner malts, with growing fruit and strawberry currants; the mids roll into strawberry tea, currants, and fruit salad, with some wheat; the back end rides the wheat and strawberry train to a clean finish, with some strawberry candy.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this...I was gonna throw an average rating score at this, but this is lockstep with the beer's description and intention. What's commendable here is how refreshing and clean this is...they really nailed a nice balance between the wheat and pilsner malts, a clean Lager finish, and nuanced strawberry notes. I actually recommend checking this out if you want a fruit beer...this is much better than all the lazy malt beverages out there. Skip the Redd's Strawberry Ale and pick this up, you'll be much happier. I'd pair this with patio foods...a barbecue...this is a nice summer beer thing. 

Random Thought: I love strawberries, I couldn't pass up a strawberry beer. Even if it's just a strawberry lager.

Redd’s Strawberry Ale

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 

Purchased: 16oz CAN bought at Jewel-Osco in IL; 2013 

A Cider that is actually an Ale? 

Style/ABV: A Cider that isn't actually a Cider, but is an Ale??? (don't care), 5.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

I'm unapologetically drinking tonight's Cider. Or is it an Ale. I guess it's a Cider..."brewed like an Ale." What will the geniuses at MillerCoors think of next. Redd's Apple Ale is also unapologetic about being a MillerCoors product. The website is stripped down with flashy images for bros and bimbos, and features a frequently asked questions section with gems such as: "Do you have 30-packs?" 

I'm hesitant to say that I'd rather let a gorilla fuck my face before I go out and buy a 30-pack of this, but you never know. This "Ale not a Cider" is made with "natural apple & strawberry flavors." Oh, the flavors! I love apples, I love ciders, and I especially love strawberries. I'm also a sucker for advertising, and my girlfriend expressed interest in trying this. For those reasons, here we are. I assure you, it's likely all downhill from here. 

The Cider Ale pours out...fucking red! No...I'm just kidding. This stuff looks like Miller Lite, with a light golden body, a ridiculous amount of carbonation, and a head that lasted as long as one of Kim Kardashian's boyfriends husbands. Strikethroughs are fun. Bright light confirms this transparent and yellowish libation. Why isn't this red? 

Redd’s Strawberry Ale

The Kool-Aid Man showed up here. You get big, artificial strawberry sweetness, strawberry cough syrup, strawberry suckers/candy, strawberry Big League Chew, etc.. There's some sweet, Kool-Aid fruit punch and apples on the aroma too, but mostly that fake candy strawberry.

In the land of MillerCoors, things are simple. When stuff is just the right coldness, the mountains turn blue. Everything is hopped not once, not twice, but three times. Guys with purses are hunted down and harassed and shamed, because they need to man the fuck up. And Redd's Strawberry Ale tastes exactly like it smells. The only thing aside from the Kool-Aid strawberry sweetness that drives this carbonated soda is a hint of apple in the background. But it's like Waldo: he's hard to find and fuck that hipster douche bag.

For 5.0% this is stupid drinkable, and the sugar doesn't exhaust you like a Bud Lite Lime. Still, I bet you get a nice hangover if you drink more than three of theses. The mouthfeel is like soda: spritzy carbonation and refreshingly light fake strawberry. This is one-dimensional in all the best ways, and cynical as I am, I can't really hate this for what it is. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

Yarrrr a Light Average this be. This shit is one-dimensional, sugary, and basically drinks like Kool-Aid soda. But there's a time and a place for this...the beach, the ballpark, at a frat party. Or, on a Thursday night after drinking a beer and watching the Bears game. I don't have to apologize for drinking this. Sometimes I like simple, sugary gimmicks. Take your Heady Topher and your fancy craft beer and cram it, crammy cramster face. Anyway, I'm gonna peace out then jet to the weed house.

Random Thought: 4-packs of the Redd's was selling for 6 or 7 bucks. Can you handle 64oz of this in one evening? Take the MillerCoors drink responsibly challenge tonight and find out, you sissy ladyboy. Need an Ale? Don't worry, our mountain climbers have you covered. They will pop out of your cooler so you can man the fuck up! 

Pipeworks Paradisiac

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: Big ass 750ml bottle (Batch #173) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Witbier/Fruit Beer, 7.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's thirsty Thursday, and also Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. They keep brewing them...I feel like tonight's beer is going to be all sex, unlike last night's tepid Date Sugar Yeast Magik. Oh yeah, and I guess today was IPA day. Because that's cool. To celebrate IPA day, I'm going to not be drinking an IPA. So anarchy. So anti-conforming. So fucking brave. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is a Witbier brewed with strawberries and kiwis. These are like three of my favorite things, so I have some high expectations here. The back of the bottle reads:

"A last rite for spring, born under a black sun. Part collaboration, part tribute, and all Balance. An alchemical brew, we've taken our Amchur and Sumac spiced Foolish Wit past its threshold by adding fresh Kiwis and Strawberries to create Paradisiac, a beer to stake your thirst during the hottest months, or when you're out collecting desert roses. The sun is coming, soon to drown us in astral fire...are you prepared?"

Pipeworks Paradisiac

I'm curious how the kind-of-high ABV is gonna work out here. Anyway, the beer pours into a hazy straw/yellow/cloudy urine color, and kicks up a nice finger of white head. Huzzah! No carbonation problems here. The head is also sustaining quite nicely, with a centimeter of Witbier-esque haze on top. There's some nice lacing on this, and the beer looks much the same in bright light. As an aside...the artwork on the Duvel glass almost obstructs the appearance, but this isn't some classy DraftMag blog. 

The aroma on here is subtle but really nice. I'm getting dense orange, orange peel, lemon, and some unknown fruit denseness (I'm assuming the strawberry/kiwi). Honestly, I wouldn't place the strawberry or kiwi on the aroma in a blind tasting, so yeah. There's some mild wheat, straw, and malt density on the nose...maybe a touch of honey. Overall, it actually smells like a legit Belgian Wit.

Woah...this is creamy, with buttery wheat, and has some serious density. It almost reminds me of a cross between a Witbier and a Belgian Pale Ale. You get dense wheat and bubble gum, big mango...lots of mango and tropical fruit...bready malt thickness, orange peel, some lemon, straw...also, I swear I'm tasting some strawberry in this. Like fresh, cut up, in yo' mouth strawberries. Would I be able to pull out strawberries in a blind tasting? Probably not. But still. 

This is dense, with a medium body supported by lots of welcomed carbonation and creamy wheat. The alcohol is well-hidden, and this is very drinkable (maybe too much so) for 7.5%. Palate depth is good while complexity is so-so. The addition of the strawberries and kiwis is perhaps evident in the aroma and body, but that could just be the dense malt bill. You do pick up some hints of strawberry in the taste, but you also get a lot of other typical Witbier trappings. I'm getting big wheat up front, with orange peel, hints of lemon, light Belgian funk, and some clove; the middle rolls into more clove, tropical fruits and lingering peel; the back end is wheat, malt thickness, and some nice lingering biscuit/orange. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Decent Above-Average, and I would buy this again. I would also recommend this, especially in place of the current batch of Date Sugar Yeast Magik. I'm about to pair this beer with pizza, but this would go well with your usual Witbier trimmings. I actually really enjoy Belgian Witbiers in the Fall/Autumn. I find the big orange peel character to pair well with fall weather, whereas I associate the more banana/bubble gum flavors of a Hefeweizen with summer. The fact that this beer has a such a dense body and is somewhat warming leads me to believe I would really enjoy drinking it in late September or early October, preferably with some football. That said, you can't go wrong at around 10 dollars a bottle (I think), and the 750ml bottle is awesome. 

Random Thought: I'm so ready for Friday. Oh, too cliche? Okay, fuck. This weekend I will be in the boonies for a bachelor/bachelorette party, which means I'm going to be downgrading and most likely drinking something like Blue Moon. It's all fun in games up in here but the bar is about to get lowered. Don't take good beer for granted.