Funky Buddha Blueberry Cobbler

The Stats
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer
ABV: 5.40%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.76/5
- RateBeer: 3.47/5

Funky Buddha is no stranger to testing the waters with their uniquely flavored beers, so why not make a blueberry cobbler ale? The "fruit/vegetable" ales aren't really my thing, but I think Funky Buddha can make one that will satisfy me. I got this an an extra in a trade, so big thanks to Sean for the bottle.

Pours a deep, dark orange with noticeable carbonation. Almost no head to speak of, but what was there was off-white.

Wow, that's a lot more cinnamon than I had anticipated on the aroma. It most certainly smells like sugary crust with vanilla and subdued blueberries. It smells like dessert and I like it.

The blueberries have a bigger presence on the taste. As opposed to the aroma where they were subdued and in the back, they are now at the forefront and are very juicy. On each sip I am getting this buttery, bready, graham cracker crust and on the transition and finish it is all cinnamon all the time. Not getting any vanilla, but I am surprised at how big the blueberries are on the taste when they were so subtle on the aroma.

Mouthfeel is light, but never what I would call watery or thin. While light at just 5.40%, this really isn't classified as "sessionable", but the amount of flavors and sweetness make it taste bigger than it is.

Blueberry Cobbler comes pretty much exactly as advertised, but it executes so well. If you want a nice change of pace for an after dinner beer instead of a stout with vanilla or chocolate, then this will substitute nicely.

Rating
8.1/10

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale

The Stats
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer
ABV: 6.90%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 3.34/5
- RateBeer: 3.02/5

Here is another entry into the Rogue/Voodoo Doughnut series. I wasn't to fond of the last offering by this team, but hey, you never know when something will unexpectedly please you. This beast combines the crueller, one of the more ridiculed doughnuts of our time, and fluffy, lemon-flavored chiffon. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts (hold your applause) that we aren't looking at genuine lemon here, but I'm willing to find out.

Pours a pretty-looking hazy orange reminiscent of quality IPA's. Produced about two fingers of an off-white, yellowish head.

I must admit the aroma is intriguing. The best thing I can compare it to is lemonade slush or Italian Ice. It's almost Shandy-like. On top of that is a buttery breadiness and a biscuit-esque quality. Honestly, to the beer's credit, if I had to imagine a liquified, lemon-filled doughnut, then this would be it.

I mentioned how the aroma reminded me of a lemon Shandy and it follows through on the taste. If you've had the Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, then this will be familiar, but noticeably sweeter. I guess the sweetness comes from the sugared crueller component, but it does add a certain depth (albeit slight) to this novelty of a beer. It finishes with nothing unpleasant, but the aftertaste does contain some generic macro beers flavors comparable to Coors Light or Bud Light.

Considering this is chock-full-of artificial lemons and sugary sweetness, it is not cloying at all. While slightly more full-bodied than your average lemon-flavored ale, it is slightly thin, but by no means watery. The generic, adjunct of a macro lager threw a wrench into this, but the beer was not hard to finish at all.

I went into this a hater, but it turned out to be not that bad. Is that really a compliment? Ehhhh, not really, but I will say this delivers exactly what it promises. It is a sweet, but not too sugary lemon ale and it didn't promise to be anything else. Yeah, yeah, there's no genuine flavors or any hint of a hop presence, but that's not why you buy this beer. This series is all about experimentation and finding the right combination of obscurity and while I would not go as far to call this a "Must Have" any day of the week, I did find myself enjoying this for what it was.

Rating
6.8/10

Founders Blushing Monk (2015 Vintage)

The Stats
Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer
ABV: 9.20%
Current Ratings...
- Beer Advocate: 4.25/5
- RateBeer: 3.99/5

Originally released in July 2011, Blushing Monk was the first ever release in Founders acclaimed "Backstage Series". This Belgian raspberry ale is brewed with, as Founders says, "a ridiculous amount of raspberries and a Belgian yeast strain.". After the release of their raspberry stout in December 2014, Founders announced their intention to re-release Blushing Monk. This started speculation that Founders had won a lifetime supply of raspberries and were simply trying to unload them on the public. All jokes aside, the re-release of the first Backstage Series beer has people hoping Founders will be doing that with others.

Pours dark red with a bright pink head.

The aroma is obviously massive raspberries,but more like a raspberry candy. There's maybe a faint Belgian character and some funk, but you'd really have to concentrate hard to dig it out.

If I had to describe this beer it would be "Liquid Jolly Rancher". I do detect some tartness and slight funk which saves this from becoming just raspberry juice, but I really can't pick up and authentic Belgian characteristics. If you've had Founders Rübæus then this will be eerily familiar territory as a blind taste test would have you confusing one for the other.

Mouthfeel is light with little carbonation. As I said, this drinks like a liquid Jolly Rancher, and that carries over to the palate as it does finish quite sticky and sweet. On a positive note, you can't detect the 9.20% at all.

Considering this was a revival of the first ever Backstage Series release, I was hoping for a stellar offering. I mean, I can take the beer at face value and say that yes, this is a raspberry beer. If that's all this was trying to be then it was successful in being a clone of Rübæus. While there was some noticeable and even pleasant tartness, there was no Belgian yeast on the taste which would have brought more complexity. This absolutely delivers as a refreshing raspberry beer, but it failed to deliver on any Belgian character. Stick to Founders Rübæus and you'll pretty much get the same experience.

Rating
7.3/10