It is hard to be a cherry these days.
Other fruits and berries have stolen all the beverage glory. You can’t swing an axe in a grocery store without smashing over display stand after display stand of strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and pomegranate flavored elixirs. I’ve noticed a startling upward trend of the availability and variety of mango flavored stuff.
The poor cherry is just sitting on the bench; stretched, all warmed up, waving his arms like a madman trying to capture the attention of the coach. He wants to get in the game. He wants to prove he’s more than just a maraschino.
Cherry has a long, proven history of enhancing beverages. Sure, he’s getting a little bit up there in age, but corn and grapes still have starting positions, and they’re older than dirt. Corn, in particular, is showing his age. His stalk and ears are getting droopy. He gasses out after a couple of sprints round the genetic modification lab.
But not cherry. He’s been training, fighting for a spot. He’s the Ryan Giggs of fruit; consistent, smart, and tactful.
Looks like Sam Adams finally gave him the chance he was working for.
Cherry comes up strong in Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. He makes his presence on the field known right away with his mouthwatering aroma and translucent amber color. His teamwork with wheat is perfect; balancing out the sweetness of of the malt with non-hop bitterness. They pull off the fruit-ale give-and-go perfectly.
And don’t be fooled by that little, “natural flavors added”, note. Cherry hasn’t been juicing. His full-bodied, organic cherry taste is untainted by processed, fake sweetners. Cherry keeps it real.
Everyone loves a good fruit-drink, be it juice, flavored water, soda, cider, homeade melomel, beer, or lambic. If your favored au-de-cerise is beer, I highly recommend trying Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. There are some other good fruit beers on the market (Shocktop and Bluemoon Belgian White, Harpoon UFO, WildBlue Blueberry Lager, Dogfish Head Aprihop, just to name a few), but none I’ve found that carry the flavor so well, without having to supplement it with extra hops.
This is also the only cherry-brew I’ve ever had, so if cherries are what get you all melty in the brain, then by all means.
I don’t find myself drinking beer like this all the time, but when I do find myself drinking it, I find myself glad I’m drinking it.
Cherry beer: it’s all about finding yourself.
8.5 out of 10.
Who doesn’t like fruit? Who doesn’t like beer? Who doesn’t like fruit beer?
Next up: Flying Dog Amber Lager!
