So… after an extremely dissappointing round of Utah beers, Ryan and I decided it was time to head up to the Idaho border (Franklin, ID to be exact), visit a very popular gas station there (La Tienda), and get us some real beer. This gas station has to be one of the most popular in the state due to its 20 minute distance from Logan (less than a mile from the UT border) and its availability of real beer, wine, and lotter tickets every day of the week. Actually, good article about this – HERE.
So, what was on the list?
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Wild Blue Blueberry Lager – 6 pack
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Wasatch – The Devastator – Single
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Samuel Adams Cream Stout – Single
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Coors 24oz @ 5% – Single
Of course, I have had some pretty good experiences with fruit flavored beers in the past little while… at least the Weizens have been good, so I figured blueberry lager would be a winner…. but boy was I wrong… Wild Blue Blueberry Lager has to be one of the sweetest beers ever created. I mean this stuff is suh-weet. Several comments from the tasting gallery as this one went around:
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“tastes like badly fermented cool-aid”
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“way, way, way too sweet”
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“tastes more like wine that beer”
Now, I know that this says they won a gold medal, but yet again I wonder if it was some small county fair or something… I mean, this stuff wasn’t very tasty. So… what was wrong? Specifically, I think it was the fact that they claim to use blueberry syrup. I think that is the failure. It makes it too sweet, so sweet in fact that it overpowers the beer taste and just tastes like high fructose corn syrup infused beer. I was really expecting something like the Pyramid Apricot Weizen where you get just a hint of apricot but the beer is still beer… overal not good… only redeaming value, quite honestly, is the high alcohol content… if you can stomach it, it will get you drunk.
Update (4/3/08): Alright… since I bought it, I kept drinking it… and it started to grow on me. If I started the night with this beer, things turned out much better than if I had standard brews first. So, I am changing my rating as follows:
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First Beer of the Night JBB6 Rating: Middle of the Road
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If you had a different beer first JBB6 Rating: Just Not Right
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I have to agree with your initial and final review of this beer. And, I might add, I’m shocked and revulted about the syrup factor. I came across your page in an attempt to find a decent review that might make me feel better about what I was pretty sure was an adventurous purchase gone awry. Looking forward to see what else you have to say about these types of beers…
Thanks James! My next “adventurous” beer is going to bee the Banana Bread Beer from Wells & Young’s Brewing Company… I hear it is actually pretty good… we’ll just have to see about that. 🙂
Banana Bread Beer is one of my faves, I cant find it here in TX however The Wild blue is a good beer in my opinion, I dring alot of ciders I.E Strongbow and Blackthorn. If you can find either give them a try
I will have to venture into the cider realm some time… has not been a focus lately, but that can change real quick. 🙂 Good ol’ Texas… just came back from there. Shiner sure is good and they have way more of a variety than I thought they would.
I disagree…I love differnt, new beers and this, for me, is wonderful! I love it’s differnt, new taste. Sure, it may not be a “typical” beer but it is definatley innovative!! I love it and if you haven’t tried it you should, just to say you have before you judge!
As I always say… to each their own! Glad you like it. That is all that really matters is that you know what you like and you stick with it. Thank you for reading the blog… we appreciate it!
I live in Idaho, and this beer is sold just down the street from me. So many of my friends were telling me it was just like a berry-flavored soda and it was so good. I won’t be buying beer based off of their advice anymore. I don’t mind a good cider or Mikes once in a while, but this one was just way out there. It was sweet and just down right nasty.
Nasty? Are you kidding? You’d rather bitter, salty, bile tasting I presume. You guys don’t know what GOOD tastes like!
Leave Wild Blue to the gals; STOP dissing it on the net because WE want them to continue making it!
I share your opinion of this beer, my friend. Others do seem to like it, though, so what can you do. Thanks for reading.
Doug
I just stumbled across your blog and I know that my response to this is many months late…it’s funny that you drove to Idaho from Utah to buy a bunch of beers that are all available here (except for this Blueberry stuff, but our state buyers know better than to buy something like that). As for Squatter’s beers, next time you are in SLC, try them at the pub. The bottled versions are brewed by another brewery and a different brew staff. On nitro, when brewed by Jenny Talley, the Oatmeal stout is pretty good. I don’t bother with the bottled version anymore. You can also try her small-batch house brews that don’t get bottled, like her award-winning seasonals and year round favorites Vienna Lager and Emigration Amber. You also missed the shining star of the local bottled beers: Squatter’s IPA (which is only available in bottles) has probably won more gold medals and more consistently than any other English IPA in the country.
Also, around the corner from Squatter’s is another pretty good Brewpub: Red Rock. They won Best Large Brewpub at the GABF this year, having won more medals than any other brewpub in the nation. I’m proud of our local beer scene. Next time you’re in SLC, give it another shot.
Thanks Andy. Great points and perspective. I am sure there is some good stuff around SLC… we don’t make it out there much, but next time we do I will try to at least hit a couple of your suggestions. Will give me something to do, anyhow. 🙂 The Oatmeal on Nitro sounds good… should have tried the IPA for sure. Also very cool on the Red Rock win… I’m sold. Keep promoting the local beer scene!
This beer is one of the worst that I’ve had. I’m a fan of incorporating fruits into beer as fermentables. I think that is sort of happening with something like that Pyramid Apricot Weizen mentioned above. The attenuation of the fruit sugars tends to make for a more subtle and drier brew. It really does seem like someone accidently bumped a bottle of blueberry syrup into the brew…way too much. I’ve found a similar thing (but to a lesser degree) in Leinenkugel’s Berry Weiss. I posted more what I thought about these type of beers on our site…thank heaven for beer.com
Hehe… my thoughts exactly. I will have to check out the Leinie’s… sounds interesting. 🙂
I like this beer, though I don’t know if beer is an accurate label for it. I don’t mind the overkill of blueberry taste when I’m in the mood for something different, though surprisingly I usually don’t like things that are overly sweet. I guess its the fact that it’s a natural fruit flavor (that I like) that makes it appealing to me, and the 8% alcohol content doesn’t hurt either.
You know, I guess you would have to be in the right mood for this… now that it has been nearly a year since I tried this, I might be up for trying it again… maybe… 🙂 Maybe it would be good over pancakes or icecream… 🙂
I drank an entire six pack of this stuff in 2 hours while updating our goofy site http://geddongear.com. Yeah – this is a shameless plug, but the beer was good. It reminded me a lot of a barley wine. I do believe Im hooked.
That was shameless… but your site is pretty funny, so added to the blog role! 🙂 You should try the Buffalo Bill’s Blueberry… I think it is much better, but you be the judge. 🙂
Doug
I tried this a few months back at my boyfriend’s uncle’s and could never remember what it was called. Now that I’ve found this I’m going to look for it. I have to disagree and say this is a really good beer, but then again I am a girl, and I like sweet things a tad better–though Guinness Extra Stout will always be my first. It’s a nice swing from the normal and I don’t find it too sweet. It’ll get you nice and drunk, too.
I can appreciate it when someone disagrees… 🙂 I am heading back to Utah this week… maybe I will pick up a bottle for old time’s sake and see if my tastes have changed… 🙂 That and I may try it over icecream this time…
Dug
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I actually like Wild Blue a lot- but I tend to like odd things and it just happened to strike my fancy. The rest of my family/friends hate it, I have to wheedle and pay up for anybody to pick it up on beer runs.
You are the smartest berry on the blueberry bush! It IS an awesome beer and anyone that hates it drinks bitter gross beer thinking it makes them macho. Pfffff
this beer is real good. i drink six too seven and i cant walk. well worth money
Oy vay. DO NOT DRIVE or OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY!
where can I get this at the Jesry Shore ?
No idea, to be honest. You should try contacting Anheuser Busch and see if they distribute out your way…
Wild Blue is wonderful if mixed half and half with a good Porter… I tried this at a bar and they called it Black and Blues or Blue Nip… Don’t knock it until you try it…
A guy with good taste and class! I am impressed! Wild Blue rocks!
I love you beer WILD BLUE can not find it in Chattanooga Tn. We have a friend it bring up from Ga. every week . Please tell me were I can get it here in Chattanooga ,Tn I have looked ever were. JGR
Yay! Smart woman!
I found this beer a few months ago and instantly fell in love with it.
Yeah it’s sweet and definately not for everyone, but i also like ciders and port wines, so the sweet tooth in me is probably why I like it so much…esides, when i pour it in a clear glass,
I get a lot of questions because it is purple and grows a head lol.
You are a good person to give Wild Blue an A+. You could have left out your last, vulgar sentence tho. It tainted your review and made you sound like a pig.
I can only find this beer at the moto marts in Missouri. I live in Memphis are there any distributors in my city, my wife loves this beer.
http://wildbluelager.com/Locator.aspx
Put in your Zip-code and click on Night-in
Just tried this interesting brew last night. It’s different but not a horrible beer. Like others have said it kind of tastes like a wine in a way … I would purchase this again in between my homebrews and wines fermenting … This is a sweeter beer … Go ahead and try it …
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I like beer and I like berries, but I realy like 6% content. Wild Blueberry Lager I’m glad I tried you.
Nasty? Are you kidding? You’d rather bitter, salty, bile tasting I presume. You guys don’t know what GOOD tastes like!
Leave Wild Blue to the gals; STOP dissing it on the net because WE want them to continue making it for US! It tastes like BLUEBERRIES, looks like BLUEBERRY and is AWESOME…If it isn’t for you fine! Move on! Gals like to ENJOY the flavor of their beer, not gulp it to get plastered like men do. It is a great girl’s sipping beer, a dessert beer, an anytime enjoyable beer! Anheuser-Bush hit it SPOT ON with this one! Keep your ugly comments, guys, off the net. Go to the websites sponsoring the beer that you like, and post positive comments. LAY OFF WILD BLUE brew! Thanks from the female population.
Thought this was a beer… Sure does not taste like it. I’d rather go back in time and drink a California Wine Cooler. Guess they figured placing it among craft style beers would make it so. I expected beer with a hint of blueberry not alcoholic grape Nehi.