For my second review, I'm going to review a new beer from Dogfish Head, their black and blue. DFH has decided to get into fruit beer, and they're doing it in a big way with a beer that combines blueberries and black raspberries, and selling it in a 750 mL bottle for a whopping $13.99. DFH beers are usually on the expensive side, but fortunately this beer is much stronger than most fruit beers, packing a hefty 10% ABV.
The beer pours a clear light brown with a distinct reddish tinge. It has a good and fairly persistent head on it.
The fruit smell in this beer is milder than I was expecting. It has a nice brown malt smell, and a hint of both the raspberry and blueberry come through. The flavor surprised me. I was expecting something extreme, but this is a more balanced beer. The malt is rich and sweet, and the berry flavors are present, but not overpowering or syrupy. The flavor lingers nicely. I thought about giving this beer just 3.5, but I'm going to give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Is it worth it? That's the real question. It's a good beer, but this is a steep price to pay. I'm going to say no, unfortunately, unless you really, really like fruit beers. Nice job from DFH, but it's a little too pricey.