Friday, February 8, 2013

Moat Mountain Violet B's Blueberry


Without a shred of doubt, I have to say that Violet B's Blueberry brewed by Moat Mountain is, bar none, my favorite blueberry beer ever.  Maybe even my favorite fruit beer ever.

I love it so much that I make several 300 mile treks a year to New Hampshire to stock up - growlers, bombers - whatever I can get my hands on.  When I drink Violet B's I think "New Hampshire".

The motel we always stay at when we're vacationing in the White Mountains is literally stumbling distance from Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing.  That wasn't the deciding factor for staying at the White Trellis, but it works out.  It's nice to grab a growler and hang out on our doorstep drinking Violet B's while contemplating Cathedral Ledge across the way.  Sometimes life is indeed quite good.

Violet B's - aka Violet Beauregarde - is so named after the gum chewing, bloated character from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory fame.  That's so flippin' funny it makes me love this beer even more!








But this is serious beer.  Moat Mountain uses 30 to 60 pounds of fresh blueberries per batch.  They are shipped in from nearby Maine, which is pretty much a hop, skip and a jump away from the brewery.   Since Violet B's is brewed year round, the berries are frozen and then the juice is steam extracted right before they add it to the fermentor.

Violet B's (4.5% ABV)  pours a hazy straw color with a medium white head.  The aroma is wheat with a subtle nose of blueberry. 

The blueberry really stands out in the taste; however, not so much that it overpowers the beer.  I especially like that it's a very natural tasting blueberry flavor (as opposed to what you would get from the sugary extract that most breweries use).  

As far as wheat beer goes, there's not really a big wheat flavor profile here.  That's not a complaint, simply an observation, and something else I like about this beer.   Each flavor stands on it's own and compliments the others without being too intense.







Violet B's has a medium mouth feel that is nicely carbonated.  This is an exceptionally smooth,  drinkable beer that goes down way too easy. Great on a hot summer day, great any time really.

Overall I say that the flavors in Violet B's are gracefully balanced so that what you get is a delicious beer that just about anyone would love.  Über awesome! 

Oh, don't go to Moat Mountain just for beer.  They also have awesome food!

For more information, check out Moat Mountain's website or visit them on Facebook


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