Marin Brewing Bluebeery Ale

There are fruit beers and there are fruit beers. Everybody acknowledges that the Belgians know what they’re doing with their cherry- and peach-flavored beers, but American brewers sometimes overdo the fruit. Marin Brewing’s Peach Ale is an example; it’s like beer crossed with peach Jell-O.

But Marin hits a bull’s-eye with its blueberry version. This tastes nothing like a blueberry soft drink; it’s unquestionably a beer, with a vigorous head and a malty nose with a piney note of hops. On the palate it’s a mouth-filling ale with just an elegant hint of blueberry, mostly noticeable in the finish. It’s a fine thing to drink in the shade.

-- Charles Perry

Price: About $4 (22 ounces)

Style: A solid ale with a pretty, summery, blueberry note

Food it goes with: Cold poached salmon

Where you find it: Selected Beverages & More stores, www.bevmo.com; Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Costa Mesa, (800) 331-3005, hitimewine.net; Vendome Liquor & Wine Shops, Beverly Hills, (310) 276-9463, vendomebeverlyhills.com, and Studio City, (818) 766-5272.