1809 Berliner Style Weisse

Brewed by Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Style: Berliner Weisse
Freising, Oberbayern, Germany

Pours out a cloudy light golden straw color with a small quickly fading head. Aroma has some citrus and some vinous aromas. Taste is very light and refreshing, but at the same time complex. Sour notes mix with some banana, bread/grain and some nice funky tartness. Very drinkable and a great summer beer.

pours a semi-hazy sunshine yellow, with a large white bubbly head, live carbonation, and not much of a lacing. smell is of wheat, light citrus, and a touch of spice. taste is crisp, lots of lemon (too much), and yeast, ends on the sour side.

A riddled bottle produces a clouded straw colored(white grapefruit juice comes to mind) body, heartily carbonated and filling the top third of a wheat glass with a densely packed, frothy, pure white head. Only sparse lacing remains, as the weight of the foam is clearly evident during the quick slide back into the glass. Very pretty and lively pour. The aroma is seducing, with hammering, lightly tart wheat malt, acidic lemon and orange peel, freshly spent yeast and some yeast not yet utilized, also a hint of grass. Lightly toasted grain lingers in the depths and is a quiet force - I know it’s there but I can barely discern its true presence under this coating sheath of tartness and wheat, not to mention sour fruit notes bouncing around everywhere. The aroma of a neo-traditional, bottle-conditioned Berliner Weisse is definitely not for the faint of heart, freshly squeezed tartness just erupting from the glass and apparent from afar. Alcohol is a non-factor. This would be so much more engaging/gratifying if it had a more obscure baseline: more sweetness or more tartness would spur greater enthusiasm; in it’s current state, a judgment wrought from only the aromatic qualities, this just isn’t veering in the directions of a traditional, mega-tart, ultra-acidic Berliner Weisse and seems too overpowered by over-generous wheat notes. Certainly, this is a Berliner Weisse, but I want more evidence of the Berlin-esque influences I grew fond of in dreams of trips to that city, due to limited experiences with other examples of the style, in the past. The flavor is so balanced it lacks excitement searched vigilantly for. Tartness is subdued nearly immediately by a large cereal grain facade, awaited brash acidity is instead mellow and softly integrated and rather than being a focal point of the style(or this specific example) is just another methodically placed component. Sweetness is medium to medium-high at times, fading quickly into the well-rounded and conveniently accessible flavor. Bitterness is low to mild, but hops are evident. Lemon and softer grapefruit notes remain and gather as a forcible puzzle piece with each sip. The finish is lightly tart, mostly sweet, fading slowly and imparting lingering acidity and moderately tart fruity notes that never really disperse. The mouthfeel is light-medium bodied, heavily though relatively softly carbonated, very smooth and a little too sticky/lightly syrupy to seem refreshing enough for a summer quaffer. This is indeed a good beer, though not the traditional retrospective I had hoped for.

Rating 1084, bottle purchased from Sams in Downers Grove, Illinois. Bright golden with a large white foamy crisp head with good carbonation. The nose is sharp citrus and grains. Taste has just a hint of yeast with lots of citrus and pepper. Refreshing and overall a good treat. Worth the price.

Bottle, part of a blind tasting session. Light orange haze with an suggestions of lemon juice in the color. Nose is of yeast and citrus aromatics. First sip is considerably more citrus and tart than your standard wit... which fits the description of the style altho this is my first of its kind. Was very pleased and impressed with its balance.

Hazy golden color with a short lived white head. Aroma is sharp wheat, lemon, yeast, and vanilla with a touch of earthiness. Taste is sharp wheat & citrus followed by some acidity and tartness (though not even close to what I was expecting). The finish is reminiscent of tart lemonade. This tastes similar to my homebrewed wit that had sauer malt added to it. Very refreshing.

500ml bottle shared by illini08, thanks! My first foray into this particular style, and while I’m not much of a sour ale lover, I found this one delightful. Poured a slightly hazy yellow with a wispy white head. Aroma of moderate lemon, yeast and a hint of sourness. Flavor was part wheat, lemon, biscuit and yeast with a wonderful mild sourness. A perfect adult beverage for the summer!

Cloudy pale golden color with a frothy white head. Aroma is full of pale grains, wheat and citric tartness, straw, lemon and grassy notes. Flavor is sour, moderately acidic, freshly-squeezed lemons, lime and wheat grains. Small bodied, sticky texture. Long tart finish.