Dulle Teve Framboos

Next to the already obscure Dulle Teve Kriek, there have apparently been a few other fruit versions which, if anything, are even less exposed, as only a few dozen bottles of each were made and none of those ever left the brewery; this raspberry version, for instance, has only been sold at the brewery's Oerbar. This rating concerns one of the last bottles so if you still want to have a taste, I would not recommend waiting for too long. Thick, egg-white, slowly breaking, shred-lacing head over a hazy warm orangey blonde beer with apricot glow. Aroma of indeed perfumey yellow raspberries, dried orange peel, brioche, apricot, moist white pepper, calvados, damp earth, mandarin, green apple. Very fruity onset, the beer's own natural esteriness mingled with a very recognisable raspberry flavour, in this case in an aromatic and jam-like sweet way (and oddly lacking that sour tomato-ish flavour I get in beers made with whole raspberries), next to ripe pear, apricot and a touch of melon; minerally carb, supple and somewhat vinous body. Soft bready core under this perfumey raspberry effect - but only very light tartness so I suspect only juice or even essence has been used; herbal and hop bitter notes in the end, along with red apple and apricot impressions and warming, brandy-like alcohol: this is very much Dulle Teve alright, just adorned with an extra layer of remarkably perfumey raspberry which you can either love or hate, I suppose... There seems to have been a strawberry version too, I must remember that next time I make it to the brewery.