Garrison Blackberry Wheat isn’t exactly the most seasonal beer to be drinking on a cool evening in March – quite literally out-of-season, in fact, as it’s only available from the brewery in May through September, and this bottle was sent along with a few other east coast brews as an Xmas present by my brother-in-law in Halifax. So I can’t even be sure exactly when it was brewed and bottled, aside from knowing that it’s at least six months old. Not promising, especially for a 4.6% abv beer.
It still seems to be in good shape, though, with an inviting aroma of slightly tart blackberries and toasted grain malt coming off of the golden body and large white head. It’s light and crisp on the tongue, and malt and berry notes come together in the flavour to evoke something close to blackberry pie, with a hint of orange and herbs joining in the subtly hopped finish.
Definitely one of the better non-lambic fruit beers I’ve tried, and hopefully I can convince my bro-in-law to send me a few in the summer when they’re even fresher and more suited to the weather.
mmm, blackberry is one of my favorite summer fruits – i made a blackberry sorbet and used it to make a wheat beer float so this brew sounds perfect
Yeah, it would work well for that, Lucy. Even vanilla ice cream would go nicely, I think.
That sounds good – I’m normally not into fruity beers (I’ve really not liked any raspberry ones I’ve tried) but this sounds like it would work.
Yeah, it’s not bad. Had one & reviewed it last fall.
I thought it was nice, but a bit too bitter in the finish and a bit too sweet. I favored the Fruli and St. Ambroise Apricot Wheat I had over it.