Peanut butter & Raspberry Jam may be mostly associated with sandwiches fond in children’s school lunch boxes but hey, it’s 2022 and the way that the world of beer is changing it was only a matter of time before we saw these flavours added to a beer.
In this review we take a look at a collaboration between Brew York & Gwei-lo in the form of a 4.9%abv pale. Do the flavours work? Or are they simply better if they stuck to being found between two slices of bread?
1. Name : Peanut Butter & Raspberry Jam Pale Ale
2. Brewery: Gewi-Lo (Hong Kong) & Brew York (England), brewed at Brew York
3. Hops : Not stated
4. Grain : Barley, Wheat, Oats & Peanuts
5. Aroma : Very pleasant aromas of peanut butter with sweet raspberry jam…..Exactly what it says on the tin!
6. Appearance : Hazy gold/light amber colour with a 1-2 finger white head
7. Body : Medium bodied beer which is helped by the addition of oats in the brew
8. Taste : Wow….This one is quite sweet, not in an off putting way but the raspberry jam flavours are definitely to the fore. The peanut butter flavours help to balance things out, particularly towards the end of the mouthful before making way to a bitter yet dry finish.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this going by the description and I was a little sceptical as to whether these flavours would transition well into a beer. I was pleasantly surprised to say that they do.
The aroma is very powerful and hits you as soon as you open the can, these linger around for quite some time and can be smelled from quite a distance, honestly it is appealing on the nose. Taste wise the first thing that hits the palate is a strong yet sweet raspberry jam flavour that does dominate proceedings somewhat. Thankfully the more subtle peanut butter flavours help to balance things out.
I honestly cannot help but think that although quite pleasant, the flavours are somewhat artificial and mask a pretty standard base beer. It is one that is quite clever in how it has been brewed but also one of those beers where one can is more than enough.
Am I glad that I tried it? – Yes
Did I enjoy it? – Overall Yes
Would I but it again? – Possibly not
Worth a try if you would like something different and unique. This will not suit everyone’s palate but those who enjoy the flavours of peanut butter and jam will no doubt appreciate what is in their glass, certainly makes a change to having it on your sandwich!
Our overall rating: 3.4/ 5.0
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