Great Lakes Brewery has taken the classic tart wheat ale, added raspberries, lemon zest, and whole vanilla beans, and named it Tango, presumably because it takes two ingredients to make something interesting and this one has considerably more than that. The brewery's own description is doing a lot of the work here: it "kinda tastes like the adult version of a blue slushie," except, crucially, it is not blue. It is a vivid, delightful red.
At 4.5% ABV, this is built for sessions rather than statements, using whole raspberries and fresh lemon zest to bring the tartness up front, with the vanilla rounding things out underneath so it doesn't turn into straight fruit punch. The result is a beer that splits the difference between a proper tart ale and a nostalgic corner-store slush, without fully committing to either.
Etobicoke's Great Lakes Brewery isn't exactly new to making fruited beers feel like an event rather than a gimmick, and Tango continues that streak. It's a beer that photographs well, which never hurts, but the actual pitch is simpler: real fruit, real tartness, and a finish that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Tango will be available at the Brewery, the GLB Brewpub, and the Online Shop starting Thursday, in 473ml cans for $3.75 or by the case for $80. Great Lakes also has a Superlite Lo-ABV Lager dropping the same day for anyone wanting to keep the session going a little longer.
Whatever's happening at your table this weekend, a cold can of something raspberry-red with a name that implies dancing seems like a reasonable place to start.