Wild Blue

Seriously, I've been having beer issues lately. I can't find a decent micro to save my life. I went to the Walgreens Liquor store near where I work today to grab a six pack, because the only true way to rate a bottled beer is to drink a whole sixer of it and really try to grasp the taste. You gotta eat too, just to cleanse the palate. 

The main issue I have been having is that every time I think I've found a beer I haven't tried or rated that isn't made by one of the big ones, their geurilla marketing strikes again. By the big ones, I mean companies I don't typically enjoy like Miller, Coors, and Anheuser-Busch. Hell, I still consider some of my favorite brewing companies to be big ones. I include companies like Stone, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, and Harpoon, etc.. etc.. But they are a different story than the big three I mentioned above. I digress. 

The last beer I rated is a prime example. Nowhere on Landshark's label or box do you find that it is made by the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. It says it is made by the "Margaritaville Brewing Company" in Jacksonville, FL. This is just another one of A-B's brewing complexes and they open up a concept brewing company out of it. They trick you in the worst way too. You know that cooler they always have at the end of the isle? Yea, the one that has all the millers, coors, buds, and other cheap beers? That's where the typical Anheuser and big name beers are placed. Landshark finally made its way over to that cooler. But the beer I purchased today was places in the locally produced and microbrew section of the store. Was it the grocer who was fooled, or was it the brewer that grew smarter? They're both bastards either way. 

Today I purchased Wild Blue by the Blue Dawg Brewing Company out of Baldwinsville, NY. It's another one of A-B's fake breweries. I looked up some info on the web when I got home and was a little upset. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find that I actually somewhat enjoyed the brew. 

Wild Blue is a blueberry lager that from what the label says is made with natural flavors and color from fruit juices. That part scared me. I see fruit juice on a beer label, and I immediately think it's girly. Call me sexist, but it's the damn truth. Anyways, upon tasting the brew I'm surprised at how intense the flavor really is. I'm used to lambic style blueberry wheats and ales with much more complexity in the flavor. But this, well this, is a new experience. I must admit that it slightly resembles a wine cooler, but I can still taste the slight beer aspects of it. The 8% ABV doesn't make me mad either. Drink a couple of these and you'll feel what I'm saying. I also enjoyed the color to the lager. When held up to a light after pouring the brew into a glass, you immediately notice how the blueberry color pops. Even the head of the brew has a pinkish glint to it. 

So, would I drink it on a normal basis? No, I wouldn't. I still enjoy Wachusett Blueberry and SeaDog Blueberry more than I enjoy this. I also try not to hugely support the major brewing companies. I'm a beer hippy. Sue me. It also doesn't help that I'm a hophead and pale ale is my game. But, It's not bad and it goes great with a robust, meaty dinner. Also, if you ever need a good theme party for the summer. Go with a red, white, and blue theme beer party. You could easily take a Killian's, a Blue Moon, and a Wild Blue to make your 4th of July notable. 

I'll tell you what Anheuser Busch, it's better than Landshark. 

out of ten