Stormtrooper: “How long have you had these blueberries?”

Luke: “Just picked them up this summer.”

Ben: “I’ve got a 4-pack of it in the back if you’d like some.”

Stormtrooper: “Let me see your brewing permit.”

Ben: “You don’t need to see his brewing permit.”

Stormtrooper: “We don’t need to see his brewing permit.”

Ben: “These are not the blueberries you’re looking for.”

Stormtrooper: “These are not the blueberries we’re looking for.”

Ben: “He can go about his business.”

Stormtrooper: “You can go about your business.”

Ben: “Move along.”

Stormtrooper: “Move along. Move along.”

Stormtrooper 2: (thinking) “Bob always gets offered 4-packs and refuses, and always from this guy. Why doesn’t he ever accept?”

We all remember this classic scene from Star Wars: A New Hope, even it if does resemble a stop at the Canadian border. Luke and Obi-Wan got the blueberries past the stormtroopers, then on the Millennium Falcon, and then had a party with tons of blueberries on Yavin 4 when everything was done. Right? Well, even if that wasn’t what happened, should this be the blueberry beer you’re looking for?

Brewed by Triptych Brewing in Savoy, IL, These Aren’t The Blueberries You’re Looking For is a Berliner Weisse-style beer fruited with blueberries. It is available in 4-packs of 16oz cans typically during the summer months. The ABV is perfect for those hot, summer months of running blueberries past the Galactic Empire and not getting a lightspeeding ticket, clocking in at 3.5%.

These Aren’t The Blueberries You’re Looking For pours a deep red color with little to no head. It is as clear as can be (as with almost all filtered Triptych beers) considering there are a ton of blueberries in it. The color had me sold, but blueberries are typically one of the harder fruits to work with and get the flavor the brewer intended. I have a bad feeling about this…

What an incredible smell I discovered! Tons of sweet, juicy blueberries are at the forefront, followed by some pie crust or graham crackers. There’s also a little bit of a yogurt on the nose, as Anthony Benjamin, head brewer and owner of Triptych, used lactobacillus plantarum in the fermenter followed by a normal yeast fermentation.* Some people might say blueberry pie – which would be accurate – but what I really get is Pop Tart filling. You know, the goo inside of a Pop Tart that gushes out once you bite into it? That. If frosting were also present I would swear Benjamin just put a Pop Tart in there.

Stay on target! Ok, back to the beer. Could it taste as good as it smelled? I think I’m overestimating their chances with this, but it delivers on the Pop Tart comparison. Jammy blueberry with a lovely tart finish, if only to remind you that you’re actually drinking a Berliner Weisse beer and not blueberry juice. That tartness quickly leaves the tongue, leaving only the fruity blueberries behind, causing the entire 16 ounces to quickly evaporate. I’m feeling a great disturbance in my mouth…

The light and effervescent mouthfeel is exactly what a Berliner Weisse should exhibit. The carbonation, while minimal, serves the beer well, as it leaves that jammy blueberry flavor hanging on the tongue. Downing an entire 4-pack is all too easy, but then you’d likely end up in the garbage chute. This is on par with the J. Wakefield fruited Berliners that almost make it like you’re not drinking a beer at all. A superb effort, and one that I will definitely look for in the future.

Craig Gonciarczyk is a middle school teacher and currently co-hosts the ABV Chicago craft beer podcast.

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