Weird Beer Thursday - Dark Horse Raspberry Ale

Dark Horse Raspberry Ale

Why it's weird:
Ale brewed with real raspberries.

What's up with this beer:
Back to the fruit beer this time. This Raspberry Ale comes from Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall, Michigan. In the recent past, I have enjoyed their Amber Ale and their Crooked Tree IPA. I have to say that the Raspberry Ale was pretty refreshing when served cold (so it could make a great Summer beer), but in general I just wasn't that into the flavor. It seems that I am more fond of Blueberry Ale than Raspberry Ale. Although I do like raspberries quite a bit, I don't think that they work that well with beer. There is some tartness, which is OK, but there is another taste / aftertaste that I didn't really enjoy - and I can't really explain it. Just something about the mix of flavors from real raspberries with the beer ingredients didn't work for me. Also, the amount of carbonation seemed too high to me. In general, Dark Horse is true to their word (in details below) in that their Raspberry Ale is definitely more of a real ale than just being a fruity malt beverage. But I didn't think the beer itself was that great. It's not that bad, just something I would not buy again. If I was given it for free, I would probably drink it, especially served very cold on a warm Summer day.
The label reminds of illustrations from a book that I liked when I was a child - The Giant Jam Sandwich.

Details: (from the brewery)
A lot of people have asked us "why are there Bee's on the label?” Well, we don't really have an answer for you other than they just look cool. This is a light bodied easy drinking ale. We only use real raspberries so the flavor is very mild fruit and balanced, not what you would expect from a "fruit" beer. The way we see it is we're brewers so lets make good beer, not some fruity carbonated malt beverage. Oh yeah, our motto..."beer first fruit second".
ABV 5%

My Rating:
The glass is half empty.