A Short Review of Beer: Steel Reserve Blk Berry

On a recent trip to the grocery store to get some food and pull money off my debit card to pay for the car insurance (yes, this is what happens when you're too poor to get a proper bank account), I decided to take a trip back to my beer drinking roots and get a can or 40oz bottle of Steel Reserve.

Unfortunately, the store was out of cans and charged way too much for the 40s. So, I got a 24-oz can of Blk Berry, Steel Reserve's blackberry-flavored malt beverage. After all, as my husband likes to say, "science must be served!" And since food stamps don't cover alcohol (another reminder of America's psychotic relationship with alcohol), this cheap can of "beer" was the perfect item to pull the insurance money off with.

Nice to see you, old friend

A few days later, after stating he was going to find a paper bag to put over his head to hide his shame that I love drinking such garbage, my husband poured my blackberry "beer" into my favorite frosted beer glass. True to its name, it looked and tasted like blackberry juice.

If I hadn't seen it coming out of the can, it could easily be mistaken for some sparkling juicy juice

It is so sweet, I could hardly taste the alcohol at first. But, that came through as a faint aftertaste at the end. I actually thought it tasted pretty good with the way the flavors came together. Colorwise, it's a dark purple and when held up to a light, one can pick out a bit of gold/light brown hue too. Like a lager, it goes down pretty smoothly with hardly any bitterness. The can states that it's 8% alcohol by volume, so it's pretty potent. There will be a buzz afterward.

The secret to this drink's success is that Steel Reserve brews their beers with some corn syrup. Corn, as we know, produces ethanol and results in a smoother tasting beer with a higher alcohol content.

This particular blend of Steel Reserve is a total party beer. House party, college party, birthday party, party party. It's really easy to get shitfaced drunk on this one. Talk about life of the party...keep it away from the kids.

Cheap, smooth, and potent. It's easy to see why I fell in love with this brand from the first sip and still consider it a vice to occasionally indulge in.

As always, please enjoy all adult beverages responsibly