United Nations of Beer

Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat Ale

by Robb Zerr
(Beer Delegate, FL, USA)

Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat Ale
Florida Beer Company, Melbourne, FL, USA

Now I'm not one to play local favorites. Sure, the Florida Beer Company is in my hometown of Melbourne, Florida. But I've never been quite sober enough to find their tasting room during the hours they are open, and in the interest of full disclosure I haven't received a free case of brewskies from them – not even a single bottle to sample – to do this review. I'm still a little bit tweaked about that, but I will get over it.

Imagine my surprise, when at my local organic/gourmet supermarket, I happened upon a display case filled with delicious products from the Florida Beer Company.

First, you have to love a company that is bold enough to proclaim it is a "Beer" company and not a "Brewing" company, like they're keeping their options open. Like if that beer thing doesn't work out, we could always brew a pot coffee. Second, they are bold enough to make a fruit-laden beer: Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat Ale.

Now I know. Fruitacious wines are known as chick beers. They add a little fruit to make the beer taste better to women who don't ordinarily quaff down a cold one after a hard day at work. I understand the strategy; just don't care much for the beers.

So I popped open my first bottle of Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat Ale expecting a typical chick experience. Something oddly sweet, fruity and then blandly brewish, as if someone squished a dollop of rotten raspberries into a slice of slightly stale Wonder Wheat bread.

Pouring the beer into an appropriate stein, I first noticed the lovely bouquet – a nice hint of raspberry, but not overpowering. It melded well with the malted wheat that is the mainstay of this beer. The head is deep and frothy… the beer itself is a beautiful amber glow of liquid love.

The initial taste is all raspberry. They didn't short you on the flavor here. It is crisp, flavorful and full. Refreshing. In the middle, a smooth creaminess that you can relish on your tongue. As it finishes, the wonderful world of malted wheat makes its full presence known, delighting even the manliest of palates.

The site describes the beer as a "delicious ale combining the refreshing soft palette of malted wheat with the abundant raspberry flavor of traditional Belgian frambrozen. It is enjoyable and refreshing especially during the summer." Obviously, the copywriter actually sampled the beer – the description is dead on.

The brewery itself has added capacity, installing four additional fermentation tanks. This allows the Florida Beer Company crank out an additional 20,000 cases of beer per month, doubling capacity.

Let's hope that their Hurricane Reef Raspberry Wheat Ale gets some additional tank time. It deserves its rightful place as one of the best chick beers on the market – a beer a macho man can also enjoy, even if he has to cover the label with his hand.