Berry Horny (Summer Berry) / Horny Goat Brewing / http://www.hornygoatbrewing.com
When a beer is touted to have a fruit flavor in its profile, I typically expect to have an inoffensive beer with little more than a touch of the fruit it contains. This usually creates an inoffensive brew that is forgettable soon after one finishes it up. This is not what Berry Horny does. Rather, the beer is able to push forth a very fulfilling golden style at the fore while heaping on considerable amounts of raspberry at the end. The double-shot of raspberry that the brewery provides is enough to make it into one of the most distinctive efforts that we have tried. I believe the concentrate was a good choice, as it does not water down the overall effort. Furthermore, the gentle assertiveness of the raspberry flavor makes this beer into a completely unique beast.
The Berry Horny would act perfectly as an introduction to the French saison style, while firmly grounding imbibers in the golden beer style that is so prevalent in the United States. I feel that the beer provides individuals with something considerably different with each sip. This means that the beer has body throughout each bottle, rather than collapsing into a macro-brew befuddlement. This is the perfect beer as the temperatures continue to rise and one wants a beer that refreshes rather than drags one down with heaviness and a thick style.
I wish I could try the Berry Horny on tap. The bottle effort is just that impressive, and I believe given the chance to have it poured from draught would allow some of the fruit expressions to shine brightly. Check out the different efforts put forth by Horny Goat – they are our favorite brewery of the year.
Rating: 8.4/10