1809 Berliner Style Weisse

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

Nearly clear yellow color with a thick head. A tart and lemony aroma as well as some wheat. Slight tartness and dry malt up front, followed on by wheat, lemon and banana. Not overly tart or sour, but just enough to freshen it up a bit. Lovely.

Bottle, aged 3 months, drunk on 10/27/07
Lovely white head that shows stronger retention than most berliner weisse. Mostly clear golden body with large bubbles in solution. Light lacing as well.
Fruity and full of lacto in the nose. Dry wheat as well, with even some soft honey notes from the malt. Light banana, but lemon and tangerine as well. Smells very similar to a hefe weizen, but with more complex fruitiness and just a tinge of sourness. To be honest, this and the last German berliner weisse I’ve had have been less "to-style" than the American ones I’ve had. The lacto, while more seemlessly integrated in to the German ones, becomes less distinctive and the line between a hefe and a berliner weisse are blurred. Which isnt very problematic, as the styles are very similar and a "to-style" version certainly does not exist. Still, this is unique and far different from the bone-dry, almost nutty, lactic, lemon/yoghurt versions I’ve had.
The flavor has a supple wheat softness and chewy nuttiness, with lightly tart acids and plentiful citrus. Delicate honey notes continue to balance, and some light banana joins the mix. Tight carbonation and no alcohol or flaws round out this vivacious brew.

.5 liter bottle from oaktree for $5.50. Pours a hazy almost opaque blondish yellow with spritzy carbonation, with an initial fluffy white head which fades into a film. Aroma is doughy, wheaty, phenolic, some clove, with a modest amount of tart lemony citric and lactic sourness, but it isnt as pronounced as I had hoped. Flavor is lemony citrus, with soem cracker and wheaty malts, hints of salt, and a light refreshing soft lactic tartness towards the end. Not as sharp as expected, but it is so damn smooth- definitley a nice interpretation. Im glad I bought an extra bottle.

Bottle received via Secret Santa summer 2008. Pours hazy yellow with a large, rocky, white head, somewhat lasting with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (hay, straw, meal), average hops (grass, lemon), heavy yeast (horse blanket, barnyard, earth) with notes of grape, pineapple, and dust. Light bodied, gritty texture, lively carbonation, and a bitter finish. Average duration, light sweetness, moderate acidity and bitterness.

Bottle. Head quickly collapses on top of a cloudy orange body. Aroma is more malty than tart. You can clearly taste the banana like yeast of Weihenstephan. Theres some sour (sour may be a reach) orange flavor but this doesn’t resemble any berliner weiss I’ve ever had. Just too sewwt for me.

Bottle. Medium sized very fizzy white head that quickly dissipated, spotty amounts of lacing, transparent, fast rising carbonation, and a yellow hue. Nose was malt, sweet, sour, lemon tartness, and fruity. The flavor was sweet, fizzy, acidic, sour, tart, malt, fruity, lime, and a dry finish. Mouthfeel was spritzy and dry. Light-medium in body. Makes one kind of pucker due to the amount of sourness and tartness in this beer. Thanks, but no.

Bottle. Pours cloudy gold with a fluffy white head. Stands tall above the surface of the beer. Aroma is yeast, very strong lemony tartness, wheat/grains and soft malts. Very tart once it hits the tongue, but not Cantillon tart. Strong lemon and yeast notes complimented by wheat, grass, unripened fruits, and soft malt sweetness. Body is light, very carbonated, and dry with light astringency. Finishes with more tart fruits, lemon juice, wheat and big yeast flavors. Very nice summer drink!

Savannah, Ga. - Habersham Beverage Warehouse, 500 ml bottle. Hazy dark yellow pour with a spritzy white head. Lemon and vinegar in the aroma. Good strong sourness to this one. Hints of lemon, vinegar, sweet tarts candy. Good and tart. Spritzy mouthfeel. Oddly refreshing.