Boo hoo hoo! You don’t like fruit beers, is that what you’re telling me? Cry me a river already. I happen to enjoy them when properly done, especially in the hot summer months. That’s why I picked up a growler of Pickin 'N Grinnin Blackberry Hefeweizen from the Fannin Brewing Company of Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Now, I had no idea what Pickin ‘N Grinnin meant, but apparently, it is some kind of country music guitar playing. You could be picking blackberries and grinning while you do it, said blackberries to go into a nice wheat beer like the one Fannin brews up. I have blackberries growing in my back yard to be honest, though I can’t say I’ve grinned while I’ve picked them.

Fannin is one of my most local breweries, 57 miles to the north. The Blue Ridge Brewpub is up there too, and so is Grumpy Old Men. The new Green Line Brewpub is closest to me at about 4 miles away, and then Reformation the closest packaging brewery about 10 miles from me in Woodstock. I love them all, but it’s still nice to have three in walking distance in Blue Ridge.

Fannin says about on their website:

This classic German Hefeweizen is made with blackbarries sourced from local Jamor Farms. Its hallmark wheaty taste pairs perfectly with the tart berries.. Available August - September.

Maybe not all that classic German, because it lacked cloves and bananas for me.

Fannin Pickin 'N Grinnin Blackberry Hefeweizen has an alcohol content of 5.3% by volume with 13 IBUs. I got a 32-ounce growler at Stout’s here in Canton for $9.75, a good price for take home draft beer. A word of warning: don’t drink it too cold! The blackberry is a bit delicate here.

Fannin Pickin 'N Grinnin Blackberry Hefeweizen pours to a hazy yellow color with a thick foamy head and a tart crackery wheat nose with just a hint of sour blackberry fruit. Taking a sip, the beer is very tart wheaty up front but lacking in clove and banana (American hefe, not German, I told you) with light hints of tart blackberry fruit and a tangy wheaty finish.

I have to say that I’d like more blackberry flavor for sure but hey, it’s cooling me off nicely in this mad hot August weather. The more I sip (and the more it warms) the more the fruit comes out and the beer is well balanced, too. I’ll give it three and a half stars as a decent fruit beer, though I think if I head into the back yard and pick some blackberries myself (with a grin on my face?) they might really begin to pop….

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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