Shock Top Raspberry Wheat: Where Kool-Aid Meets Beer

Imagine, if you will, a perfect universe where you don't have to decide between the sober ethnic pleasantries of "red" kool-aid and the drunken bliss that is beer. And no, you may not insert any silly Four Loko statements into this comparison, that shit is pure struggle extract. Anyway this beer was recommended to me by a few of my Twitter friends (shoutout to @JuelzSanchtana & @reesecollins518) and I couldn't be any happier with this brew. I've drank my share of Shandy, but this tastes like the fusion of juice and beer breweries have been chasing after for years. I'd hate myself (and so would my Trini friends) to not say that Carib Shandy (review coming soon) is still the best shandy I've ever tasted, but this isn't technically a shandy. Ok it's not a shandy, but why the hell does it taste like one? I don't know, but I'm not mad at Shock Top for this offering.

Now if you've been reading this blog you might have realized two things: 1. I have adult A.D.D. or something like it and 2. I love a brewery where they're not afraid to take a chance on unconventional beers. Mind you I have no qualms about a great Sierra Pale Ale or an ice-cold Carona with my Mexican take-out but why not try something different? If variety is the spice of life, then let craft beers be your Texas Pete.

Speaking...er, writing...of doing something different, I'm doing something different here, I've invited a guest writer to take over this entry. Allow me to introduce my digital friend Mr Juelz Sanchtana, a fellow penman(did I just make this title up?) and more importantly a fellow lover of fine brew.

Guest blogger @JuelzSanchtana

When I first drank Shocktop’s Raspberry wheat ale I was flabbergasted to say the least. I consider myself to be a connoisseur of sorts as far a beer is concerned with Ale being by far and away my most cherished beer of choice followed closely by

lagers but that’s a story for another day. Firstly I opened the bottle and my olfactory senses were overwhelmed with a medley of fresh fruit scent. Ive never had anything bad to say about Shocktop since I discovered it about two years ago, but I was a bit

apprehensive to drink the beer for fear I would be drinking “glorified juice”. If you’ve tasted the beer then your sentiments may mirror my own; needless to say I didn’t put the bottle down once I tasted it and when it was finished I hastily reached for another one.

I took one swig of that bad boy and stared in utter disbelief and what my gullet had just registered to my brain. For all of the overtures of raspberry shocktop didn’t forget to let me know that what I held in my hand was still an ale and for that I was appreciative. I can honestly say that in short order this beer has reached my proverbial “ring of honor” only; an honor not lightly given. One of the things I like about this beer is that it’s one of those beers that you give hand to a female and she will honestly drink it; and will probably ask for another. Trust me on this one I have offered this beer to women with the staunchest disposition about drinking beer and I have yet to receive negative feedback. So what does that tell u? “Winner winner chicken dinner” lol.

In all seriousness this is not the beer that you have to be ashamed to tell someone that you like it especially your homeboys. As a matter of fact they have all

congratulated me on my keen observation *pats myself on the back*. I like the fact that

shocktop doesn’t overdue it with the raspberry, but in my opinion they could’ve added a

lil bit more carbonation in the refining process. Other than that I have nothing but rave

reviews for this stellar ale. I could clearly tell that choice hops were used on this beer

none of that second tier shit. I now use this beer as my conversation piece and as a

segue for discussions on more serious matters or sometimes jus shooting the breeze

with whomever.

In summation I think this is one of the best beers I have ever had the

pleasure of drinking and its now a staple in my diet lol. To the fine folks at Shocktop I

say that you have done the world a great service, and with beers like this one you

guys’ll be a household name in no time. My suggestion to anyone that reads this is to

go try it for yourself and make your own judgment call, but when you’re standing there

in utter disbelief don’t forget your buddy JuelzSanchtana told yall so!!! So don’t hesitate

run on down to your friendly neighborhood liquor store and pick up a six pack. I

guarantee that it’ll be $8.00 well spent or how much ever you guys’ll have to pay due to

the recession and variant taxes in your respective states.

Alas! I have but 2 hands to drink these beers...

Well Juelz has proved his penchant for prose even when plastered. Now what you're probably wondering is "but what if I don't like raspberry anything Flask?" and I hear you Jamal....so considering that this is RASPBERRY infused beer you prolly won't like it just from that. But if you like beer and you like raspberries than this is a win-win for you. Shock Top brewery has been blessing us hop hounds with quality non-fruited beers for quite some time now, don't be afraid to try all of their offerings, even if this one isn't for you.

Ok 85'ers time for "The Rundown"
(yea that's what we'll call it)

LOOK: The beautiful amber with a slight hint of red, like a sunset in a war-torn country that ends in -stan. This is actually one of my favorite things about this beer, it has a gorgeous color to it. It's a perfect compliment to a red SOLO.
TASTE: Imagine a Shock Top Wheat (you've had one before, right? Good) and now dump some Grenadine or your cousin's kool-aid in it and bam, you have this beer. This is a solid unfiltered wheat beer with a ton of flavor by itself, then on top of that there's this great raspberry essence in it. You'll either love it or think "WTF." I'm sure this will be pretty polarizing...like Kanye West, but easier to ignore.
MOUTHFEEL: Drink this ice cold to really get the refreshing feel of this fruit-infusion. As you get closer to the bottom, you'll get more unfilitered wheat and it'll feel a little heavier, but still great. High amounts of carbonation add to the feeling of drinking a soda more so than a beer.
DRINKABILITY: I'm not gonna further stress what Juelz pretty much laid out in his love letter. This is a great beer to drink any time. It's really refreshing and you won't really feel like you ate a loaf of bread after 2 or 3 of these. Light enough for your girl, stout enough for Eddie Long to be attracted to your average man to heartily enjoy.
PAIRING: This thing is already pretty sweet, so try something salty with it to get a nice back and forth thing going in your mouth(insert "Pause" here). Experiment with different foods. Mixing tastes/textures on the palate actually changes the taste of each item. It's like...science or some shit...I promise.
EVENT: Yes ladies, I'm a sexist bastard. Any fruity or light beer I review, the event will always be a co-ed setting. This one is no different. It's light enough to still eat a few things but heavy enough to make you skip that 4th plate and not look like a pig in front of your significant other's judgmental friends.

Special thanks to @JuelzSanchtana for doing most of the heavy lifting here. Next post coming sooner than later....more special guests, more fuckery and more beer........