Having enjoyed Shock Tops take on Raspberry Wheat beer, while reaching for another 6pack to take up to the lakehouse for the weekend, my eyes happened to catch a glance of another Raspberry Wheat Beer, Southern Tier's. Always the adventurer, I ended up buying the Southern Tier for a dollar more than the Shock Top. Southern Tier is a regional brewery based out of Lakewood in Western NY. I have had Southern Tier beers before and remember enjoying them, so I had high hopes for this beer. That afternoon, as I grabbed a bottle, I noticed the shocking amount of light that could shine through the bottle, either this was really lightly colored glass (it wasn't) or this was quite a light beer. It smelled as expected, faintly hoppy with a hint of raspberry, pleasant, although nowhere near as bold as the Shock Top. Tasting the beer was a whole different story. It was light, so light in fact I had to sip it again register a taste. I was met with a highly carbonated, almost watery blend of raspberry with hints of honey and wheat. I was disappointed at first, looking forward to the thick, smooth taste of a wheat beer. However as I continued to drink it, it grew on me and even became somewhat enjoyable in the 85 and humid summer day. All in all, however, the shallow, sugary taste and lack of the typical wheat beer feel that makes the category one of my favorites really came around to hurt the beer. I could see it having good applications, like enjoying it with grilled chicken and corn on the cob, but I don't think its a beer I'll be buying consistently.
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