1809 Berliner Style Weisse

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

Pours a clouded straw gold with a very sizeable brighter white head. Nose is yeasty and wheat. Touch of citrus. Just the nose you want on a weisse. Flavor is extremely tart and tangy, so much so that it really grabs the back of your mouth. Very strong citrus tones. Long lasting lighter aftertaste combines with a lot of small bubbles on the tongue and a good liquid feel. Heavily drinkable, though that first taste really hit the back of my mouth and sent me for a spin. After that though it was very smooth sailing. Well worth trying. Even though the price tag was a wee bit high.

Finally! A chance to try this ultra-rare beer style without catching a plane to Berlin (although I desperately want to do that too.) From what I have read, this is an excellent example of the style, which I definitely drank without any artificial syrup. Poured into a short, stemless, rocks-style glass, there is little head, and a very pale yet hazy gold and distinctive blonde, pineapple juice-like color. The aroma is very cedary, slightly oaky, and full of lactic acid and a vinous sour apricot tinge that stings the nostrils with a very yeasty and complex odor of pineapple and earthy, bacterial farmhouse funk that is remniscent of unblended lambic. The first sip produces a mouthfeel that is very light, delicate, and estery. The taste is very crisp and carbonated with apricot, grapefruit, and a bit of sour apple. Ultra soft, lively, and refreshing beyond words. This is THE ULTIMATE summer refresher. Further sips bring cider apples, yogurt, and a pleasant sourness, that is by no means overwhelming. (I simply couldn’t bring myself to ruin this beer mit schuss-(with syrup.) There is a very short, quick, cidery finish, leaving the mouth refreshed and rejuvenated long after the beer is finished. Amazing stuff!

Cloudy yellow appearance. Slightly bitter flavor, till I got to the bottom and found more sour! Has great aroma. Head retention left a lot to be desired. Would like to try it with the blend in flavors.

My experience with Berliner Weisse is very limited, but the few I’ve had have been overwhelmingly tart with the flavor around the edges, if that makes any sense. Still good of course, but tart more than anything. This one, however, was extremely flavorful - it smelled mildly like toast and lemon, and the flavor was a mix of some citrus notes, some herbal, savory notes, some hints of sourdough bread and just a touch of bitterness, mixed with an understated but persistant tartness. Awesome stuff, I wish I had a case or two of it. Thanks to ross for the trade!

Very clean and uniform snow white head on a hazy straw yellow body with notable carbonation. Aroma is like lemons, pears, and honeysuckle, with some moderate bacterial funk. Has nice, dry wheaty depth in the flavor with medium, lemony sourness. Includes notes of grass, pear and dry honey. Infinitely quenching, but with ample character to make it interesting. Excellent achievement and great beer for summer! Results from bottle-conditioning with bacteria will be interesting.

Lovely, lovely beer. Lactic acid tang, sourdough bread and unripe small grapes in the flavor, bready yeast in the nose, lemony essence filing your nostrils. Heavenly body when you swirl, which you should do immediately - practically velvet. Fantastic Berliner Weiss.

Very hazy, pale body with a medium sized, white head that quickly fades. The aroma is lemon, yogurt, grass and hay. The flavor is tart to sour with light sweetness, grass, lemon, yogurt with some graininess. Light bodied, but substantial with moderate carbonation and a sour finish. Wow. Blows Kindl Weiss out of the water. Easily the best Berliner I’ve had.

Poured a bright, hazy, turbid golden-yellow body with a fat, fluffy white head. Lively bubbles evident for some time after pour. Nose of a faint sour lemon tartness with some wheat. Flavor was palatial and labyrinthine. Sour yet well balanced and unattenuated. Strong for a Berliner Weiss at 5% ABV. Finished crisp and quenching. One of the finest bottled beers I have had the pleasure of tasting.