United Nations of Beer

Garrison Raspberry Wheat

by Stacey Langille
(Beer Delegate, NS, Canada)

Garrison Raspberry Wheat

Garrison is a relatively new player in Nova Scotian brewing, but it has a great line up of beer and it looks as if they are poised to not disappoint.

My first selection is Garrison Raspberry Wheat, based on the recommendation of my local beer store representative. The tasty-looking six pack quickly went into my fridge for consumption once chilled to the perfect temperature. There are many thoughts on this whole "How cold should my beer be?" issue, but maybe that is best saved for another article.

For this beer drinker, three degrees is when the Raspberry Wheat beer came out for its first taste. Once the cap was off, a quick sniff revealed the subtle berry goodness inside. It was not an overbearing synthetic scent but a natural light complement to the beer itself.

Upon pouring you can see the quality this wheat beer has to offer with just the right amount of dancing going on around the glass to show off its proud hazy wheat appearance.

Wheat beers are quite often considered the quintessential summer thirst quenchers and are brewed seasonally to reflect this attribute. This one is available year round and after my first taste I realized this was a good thing, as only having this tasty treat a few months out of the year would just be wrong. It was very pleasant with little or no aftertaste. The raspberry was present but not overpowering as it passed my tongue, making it ask for seconds immediately. Very much a wheat beer I will buy again and again.

A week later I decided to have a bit of a seafood night. Grabbing a bag of shrimp and a couple pounds of mussels I set out to have a nice meal and a few beers.

The shrimp were steamed in hot spices and laid out for the seafood sauce, and then it was the turn of the mussels. Loading the pan with garlic, red onions, mushrooms, peppers and butter I paused at adding the water.

Flinging open the fridge door there sat a lonely Garrison Raspberry Wheat Ale, so I popped the top and let it mix with the other ingredients in the pan.

The smell dancing through my kitchen was amazing and I could not wait to get the mussels into this mixture. Once at a boil I dumped the sea treats in and covered with a clear top to steam. Watching them pop open it was almost like they were smiling being bathed in this mixture. Once cooked and on the plate I was ready to chow down, and chow down I did. This last-second cooking idea gave me the best plate of mussels I have ever eaten!

As a proud Nova Scotian I have to cheer for the local breweries, but Garrison is set on making this an easy task. They brewed their first batch back in 1997 and have had most of their equipment come from the Atlantic Provinces.

They also utilize Canadian agricultural products when possible. The web site for Garrison says of Garrison Raspberry Wheat: "This golden wheat ale comes alive with its unique, natural raspberry flavor. A crisp, refreshing, one-of-a-kind taste…" and I agree. If the rest of the product line is this tasty then look out big boys, because the new kid is HOT! So check it out if you are in Nova Scotia, ask for it at a bar, buy it at the store and if they don't have it tell them to get it fast. Cheers!