Raspberry Crush

Brewers are continually expanding their repertoires, trying their hands at new styles from the wide range of beers made around the world, including a genre of sours that look, taste and smell more like ciders—or just plain juice. Such is the case with 10 Barrel Brewing Co.’s Rasberry Crush, a Berliner Weisse-style beer (that the Bend, Ore.-based brewery calls a “kettle sour”) with raspberries added along with lactobacillus bacteria to give it the signature tangy flavor. It pours an effervescent, ruby red with low carbonation and not much head, smells straight-up like raspberries and is clean, dry and tart on the tongue. Thankfully, it isn’t nearly as sweet as it smells. It’s also straightforward like the simple label on the can, staying light and refreshing without the complex layers and super-funky aftertaste distinctive of so many sour beers. So, despite the rather stiff 6.5 percent ABV and vinegary kick, this is on the delicious end of the sour spectrum, making it a treat for sour-beer beginners.