La Choulette Framboise - Brasserie La Choulette

womencantsail

California

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The pour is a dark blood red color with a fluffy off-white head and some decent lacing.

S: The nose offers up some light tartness along with raspberries and a mild vinous character.

T: The flavor has some mildly sweet and tart raspberries along with a pronounced dryness but not too much in terms of sourness.

M: The body is medium with a full carbonation and a dry finish.

D: We picked this one up thinking it was a lambic. The nose gave some inclination it might be, but upon tasting it, you could tell it was not. Still, a decent enough fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2010 19:18:28 | More by womencantsail

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a slightly cloudy rusty body with a fluffy white head that leaves plenty of lacing around the glass

Smell: Tart raspberries

Taste: Starts out with a semi-sweet/tart raspberry flavor that becomes slightly sour as the flavors develop; about midway through the flavor suddenly shifts and some other elements come into play; the raspberry flavors fade into the background and some woody notes takes over

Mouthfeel: Light bodied and sprightly, with plenty of carbonation

Drinkability: Difficult to consume in quantity, a nevertheless interesting diversion

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2005 01:57:00 | More by brentk56

UCLABrewN84

California

3.68/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a murky dark red with a foamy reddish-white head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy swaths of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is mainly of raspberries and raspberry juice. Taste is much the same but quite watery in my opinion. There is more of a fresh raspberry flavor than other raspberry beers I have had in the past though. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is pretty tasty but has a better smell in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 08:56:28 | More by UCLABrewN84

oberon

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours from a corked bottle a deep red with a big fluffy pink head that settles leaving a nice amount of lace behind,the aromas has a real iron quality to it with some toasted grain and of course the raspberry essence all seem to come together very well.Now this is a no fufu framboise here immensly flavorful obviously the raspberry puree flavors are there but there is more to it there is real dry biscuity backbone to this with a iron like dryness to keep the raspberry puree flavors from becoming overly sweet.Well balanced and refreshing I love this beer I wish I had more,hell yeah.

This is 6.2% alc says right on the label.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2005 20:35:36 | More by oberon

metter98

New York

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

A: The beer is quite hazy red in color and has a moderate amount of carbonation. It poured with a finger and a half high beige head that gradually died down, leaving a thin head covering the surface and some lacing down the sides of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of raspberries are present in the nose—without having any sweetness or tartness.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and has a type of raspberry flavor similar to hard German raspberry candies (but without nearly all of the sweetness).
M: It feels very light-bodied (but not watery) on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is especially easy to drink and seems rather unique as a fruit-flavored bière de garde. I could see this as a good choice for someone that wants to try a fruity beer but doesn't want something very sweet.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 23:59:09 | More by metter98

Gueuzedude

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy bright red color & is topped by a off white head with a pinkish hue. The aroma is of intense raspberries, almost a sticky sweet raspberry syrup. Underneath is a bit of musty aroma. Not too dry, perhaps a bit sweet, but definitely not a fake syrupy flavor. Has a good raspberry tartness & I really like that it is not sweet & syrupy. There is a nice pulpy raspberry skin tannin that adds a bit of complexity. Quite a good body to this beer, almost meaty with great chewy flavor. My only complaint is that perhaps the underlying beer character is drowned in a sea of raspberries. Though this is actually growing on me a bit as I sit here and sip this beer. Overall a beery great raspberry interpretation.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2004 01:18:51 | More by Gueuzedude

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a pinkish looking color with very little head on top. The smell of the beer wasn't tart or overly sweet smelling. I was very surprised at how mellow the nose was. The taste of the beer was like a raspberry infused tea to me. I wasn't really sure if this is really how this was supposed to be or not. The flavors are just as mellow as the nose in this brew. The mouthfeel was on the light and watery side. Overall this beer was just very different than what I expected. It's not bad but it might not be what you're looking for.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2012 03:58:32 | More by Knapp85

emerge077

Illinois

3.15/5  rDev -18%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very fizzy at first, looks like seltzer bubbles. Dingy tea-like brown with a drip of vermilion in there. Foamy cauldron subsides into a bare skim, but upward streams of bubbles are constant. Hazy, dirty with suspended sediment.

Smells malty with a touch of raspberry soda or gummy candy sweetness.

Tastes malty like a Biere de Garde, with some fruity candy notes in the background. Very light tartness, nowhere near Lambic levels. Toward the end of the glass it takes on more unsweetened juice character. Started out fizzy, but flattened out. Glad I got the 33cL bottle and not the 750.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2008 02:20:23 | More by emerge077

Halcyondays

California

3.73/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Appears to be a 12 oz. bottle, cool to see all these old beers coming back, haven't had this since 2006,

A: Pours a deep garnet with a fizzy pink head, light lace, fair retention.

S: Absolutely gorgeous raspberry fruit, jammy, full.

T: Dominated by sweet raspberry but not close to as beautiful as the nose, tad medicinal finish. Good flavour, but nothing striking.

M: Well overcarbonated which makes carbonic acid a factor which I don't like here. Light-bodied, very fizzy.

D: A nice fruit beer, it's not artificial tasting, the nose is on par with Raspberry Tart which is saying something, the beer is worth it just for the nose in my opinion. If you like raspberries go for it.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 04:17:39 | More by Halcyondays

jwc215

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Freshness date of June '08:

Pours ruby red with a fluffy off-white, pinkish head that descends to a thin, lasting cover.

The smell is of fresh raspberries with a grainy undertone.

The taste is of light sour and sweet with raspberry syrup. Tartness is subtle under a sweet blanket. As it progresses, a cherry sweetness mixes in with the raspberry. Dry finish.

Light to medium bodied, pretty smooth, though cough drop does come to mind, especially in the aftertaste.

An interesting brew - Above average for a fruit beer. Still, I prefer the ambree. This is a good one to have a romantic candle light dinner with I suppose...Fruity but still a "beer"...

Serving type: bottle

08-12-2007 21:37:20 | More by jwc215

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a ruby hue with a nice creme head that falls to nothing in a short amount of time. Nose is very fruity, big surprise. Almost seems to be a bit of a cotton candy edge to it as well. Nice smooth levels of taspberries are here. They don't overpower or kill the palate. A sour edge kind of kicks in on the back side, but nothing that wrecks the experience. A smooth level of carbonation hits you on this. It's a nice fruit beer. For my personal taste, it could be a bit sweeter, but overall I have to say that it is fairly nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2008 04:51:17 | More by RblWthACoz

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy red/brown topped by an off-white, reddish head. Smells like raspberries and beer, good beer with a nice malty aroma. Fruity and tart flavour with raspberries really dominating, but not over the top. Medium body and carbonation. Very refreshing and fruity with a nice malty ale base.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2005 18:53:52 | More by DrJay

scruffwhor

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a currant juice maroon. Can't see any bubbles in this raspberry haze. Not a lot of head, at least one that lasts very long. But the color is very cool. The aroma is a light whiff of raspberry and a barn. The fruity raspberry becomes more potent as it warms. Plus the eatrthy tartness of my lovely Bere de Garde. A little viney and dry. The palate is smooth, lightly carbonated and relaxing. A good French Summer beer. This stuff is very, very easy to drink. Not cloying or overwhelming at all. Especially if you like fruit in your beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2007 05:17:21 | More by scruffwhor

jrallen34

Illinois

3.08/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

33cl bottle into my Orval glass...The beer pours an ugly murky pink/purple, without much head, light carbonation...The aroma is a really nice sweet candy raspberry, a sweet fruit but lacking a bit in complexity...The taste is let down, light sweet to start with raspberries displaying but then there is a flat, wood, grain alochol finish the ruings it..The feel is light, not easy to drink.

Smells great, but that's it, a fruit beer not worth drinking.

Serving type: bottle

07-26-2010 01:12:10 | More by jrallen34

Tone

Missouri

3.8/5  rDev -1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy, amber/burgundy color. 1/4 inch head of an off-white color. Slight retention and slight lacing. Smells of raspberries, sweet malt, tart malt, and yeast. Fits the style of a Fruit / Vegetable beer. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp with an average carbonation level. Tastes of raspberries, sweet malt, yeast, slight roasted malt, and slight tart malt. Overall, the raspberries don't overwhelm the beer, good blend and body.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 20:37:11 | More by Tone

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shining ruby red with a nice head of mountanous salmon-tinged foam. Aroma of pure raspberry. Pulp, seeds, everything. With an interesting malty French/Belgian biere de garde base. Oaky with interesting funkiness as well. Interesting for sure. Taste is oaky, funky, and loaded with raspberry. Nice. Mouthfeel velvety and mouth coating. Luxurious and incredibly nice for a 750ml bottle of beer that cost only $6! Drinkability is awesome, and I will be visiting this beer again when I want a multi-diminsional fruit beer, with an awesome ale (biere de garde) base.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2005 04:13:51 | More by francisweizen

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.18/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

The beer poured into the tulip crystal clear reddish amber with a tall frothy amber hued head that lasted well and fell slowly to coat at the glass.

The aroma was raspberries. Plungins you nose in the sniffer was like smashing up fresh sweet aromatic raspberries.

The flavor was light with bittering that accentuated the raspberry presence. The raspberry flavor was well done and not overly sweet. The beer certainly dried on the palate over time.

The finish was dry with lasting raspberry flavor that becomes more dry and interestingly bitter the longer it contacts the palate. The body was medium light to almost light. The beer goes down like water, but could use more complexity all the way around.

75 cl bailed and corked bottle, best before end 2005 on label. Bottle says 6% ABV. I thought this was going to be a lambic prior to opening...oh well.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2005 21:12:27 | More by GCBrewingCo

ADR

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A clearish burgundy color, head betrays the fruit in its pinkness and is fine-bubbled. Just widely spaced dots for lace. Lightly sweet berry aroma, a hint of tartness and a speck of nutmeg. Not especially bright or astringent, and not overly raspberry either, almost plays out early like an iced tea with flavoring. As it rounds to a close, there's a light sense of drying, like grapefruit seeds. A softish interpretation, I like that it gets brighter near the close. For me, I like a little more tanginess, and perhaps some more down-home mustiness, but this is highly drinkable and not cartoonishly sweet.

Serving type: bottle

06-07-2004 15:38:37 | More by ADR

thierrynantes

France

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Beer bottle (33cl.), tasted in 2003.

Appearance: ruby color, with tan foam head.
Smell : nose of raspberry and blackberry
Taste and mouthfeel: a flexible mouth, hazel-nut, fairly dry
Drinkability : Very good raspberry kriek
La Choulette brewery produces an amber beer, it used to the development of the fruit beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2007 09:31:17 | More by thierrynantes

Offa

California

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I find this to be a very enjoyable, balanced beer with some good light complexity to carry the raspberry,which dominates but not entirely, so this is not a one-dimensionally fruity beer.

Hazy deep red-amber, it has a small fizzy off-white head soon thinning to foamy ring & wisps.

Aroma is a lot of raspberry, hints of chocolate, faint hint of toast, and berry ice cream. It is pleasant but less complex than the taste.

Taste is more interesting and complex, light, sweetish up front, before a dryish finish and then lightly sweeter aftertaste. It has light tartness throughout. It has definite raspberry but with hints of toast, creamy chocolate, and faintly earthy yeastiness underneath, giving it some depth and a little complexity and interest. It is very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 04:24:15 | More by Offa

crossovert

Wisconsin

2.35/5  rDev -38.8%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

330ml bottle. 05.07.09.

It pours a brownish raspberry color with no head.

The smell is raspberry sorbet mixed with some brown sugar.

The flavor is much like finnish raspberry licorice. It has some herbs/spices including fennel and anise along with some caramel malt and raspberries.

Not my cup o tea though.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 00:48:40 | More by crossovert

Drew966

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

La Choulette Framboise pours a reddish copper color with a pinkish head from a brown 750 ml corked and caged bottle. The aroma is very nice, and all raspberry. The flavor is pretty much all raspberry too. Very well done with an authentic raspberry flavor. Not something I would drink often, but I wouldn't hesitate.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2009 21:05:08 | More by Drew966

cbutova

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A- Dark red body with a foamy pink head. Size is pretty good and retention is decent. Nice legs stick to the glass as well as some fine lace coats.

S- A raspberry bomb comes off in fumes. Tons of raspberry and in the sweet way no sour touches.

T- A ton of sweet raspberries. It is hard to say a lot more, some light malt and Belgian yeast, maybe bread?

MF- High carbonation stings the palate in a light body with a very foamy feel.

This one is just a massive fruit bomb, really easy to drink and really refreshing. Tons of raspberries, not a bad way.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 05:12:16 | More by cbutova

Gobzilla

California

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: poured a purple with rose pinksh highlights with a finger of head and a little lacing.

S: lots of raspberry aromas dominate the nose with hints of wheat, syrup, and other berries. The raspberries sure over power the rest of the ingredients.

T: raspberries dominate the flavor like the nose with grainy and sugar notes that make the beer a bit sweet but not to overbearing.

M: light to medium body with a little carbonation and had a sliky grainy feel with sweet finish.

D: pretty decent fruit beer but is a little too sweet for my palate. I honestly thought It would have more tartness in the flavor.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2010 22:38:21 | More by Gobzilla

Proteus93

Virginia

4.03/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up from the World Market in Charlottesville, noticing that it was marked down for sale. I kind of presume that it has to do with the fact that the best before date stamped on it is Dec. 26, 2009, and it wasn't the fastest mover. Who knows, though... I snapped one up!

A: Plum-coloured pour, topped with a short-lived pinkish head. It leaves just the tiniest collar of lace, and there's really nothing to stick to the glass walls.

S + T: Raspberry dominates both the nose and the palate, by far. There's a soft malt on the nose that I don't detect as much on the palate. As it warms a bit, a slightly peppery note comes out on the nose.

M + D: Rather dry, but not incredibly so. It is quite refreshing and smooth, though, and that counts for a lot. Very nice natural flavours, and a clean finish make this very enjoyable brew. I might just need to pick up some more of those clearance items!

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2009 01:48:49 | More by Proteus93