One of the beers in their summer variety Road Pack is a nifty little number called Road Jam. It is a wheat ale brewed with raspberries and touched off with some lemongrass.
The raspberry component is evident in the reddish tint of the brew. It is also very apparent in the aroma. There is a strong, somewhat sweet, berry scent when you hold the glass close.
The first thing noticed when taking the first sip was a subtle malty flavor with just a hint of the raspberry taste. But unlike the aroma, there was not any sweetness in the beer. Rather there was just enough tartness to make for a refreshing drink. Overall well balanced between the sweet scent and the tart taste.
This is definitely a warm weather summer brew. It was especially enjoyable after coming in from working outdoors on a hot, humid day.
As an experiment about half way through my glass of Road Jam I threw in about a half dozen raspberries which had been freshly picked that day from behind a friends house. (The picking was by invitation, just to be clear). I did not notice any impact on the overall taste of the beer. There was definitely a stronger raspberry aroma afterwards and a somewhat stronger fruitiness to the aftertaste. But the general character of the beer was unchanged.
The raspberries at the bottom of the glass were sure delicious and fun to eat though!
No one is going to claim this is a great beer, or a classic or a standard. But that is not the aim of a summertime brew, at least not in my mind. They should be lighter and aim to be refreshing. Balance if you will should trump complexity.
And by that standard I find Road Jam from Two Roads Brewing a success. It is on the lighter side (5% ABV). But it is well balanced, the fruit adding enough tartness to make the beer refreshing.
I give it 7 mugs out of 10.