Berliner Kindl Weisse

Brewed by Berliner Kindl Brauerei (Oetker Group)
Style: Berliner Weisse
Berlin, Germany

Pours a clean clear straw yellow, with a foamy white head and champagne fine carbonation. Slight lemon aroma with a hint of dusty grain. Tart and dry wheatyness flavor, with some lemon and ubiquitous grainy background. A hint of State Fair and a handfull of flax seed. Puckery, but not overly so, quite enjoyable actually. Some efferevescence and a light quality of esters in the finish. Very satisfying and refreshing, although I feel the acid working on my teeth.

Slightly hazed gold body with a large frothed up white head. Apple juice, pear skins jello aroma. Slightly tart flavor that leaves a slick feel on the back of my tongue. Chalky apple flavor to this. The grainy malt profile really only comes out late in the finish but it lingers and compliments this. A nice dry fruitiness that works well with the tart. All in all a nice one. Thanks jeff Ap-3 ar- 6 tas- 6 pal-4 ov-14

BIG thanks to my best buddy Brian for this one. I’ve heard about this beer for awhile now, but up until recently it was unattainable. But as the fates have it, one was now in my possesion and it was going to be consumed. I decided to go with the raspberry syrup since thats how it’s served in Germany, but I reserved about 10% to sample w/o the syrup. So first my thoughts on the beer w/o syrup. I couldn’t detect a strong aroma of anything really, but there was a tart/lemony/citrus aroma floating about. Appearance was very pale in color. Mouthfeels was light. The flavor profile is was really made me notice. It was like a mini-gueze!! And we are talking very miniscule mini because it was tart and acidic but not over the top. So I poured the syrup into my Chimay goblet, and then the brew and it became this immediate pinkish liquid with an even lighter pink head. Aroma was raspberries and.....that’s about it. Mouthfeel was still fairly light and suprisingly not real syrupy. Flavor profile switched from tart to incredibly sweet, basically burying any resemblence of a beer in the syrup. Overall I thought it was enjoyable (my wife even took a sip and said not bad and she HATES beer) but not my style. I’m glad I tried it, I doubt I will ever buy something like this unless I’m in Germany and this is what they’ve got.

Dark yellow colored, slightly cloudy appearance. Little vanishing white head. Fruits, citrus, mild berries and sweetness in aroma. Thin bodied. Sourness, citrus and carbonated flavor, aftertaste lasts with sourness, drought and citrus.

Finally found a beer of this style. At 6.50 a bottle though, 1 it for the night. Clear yellow body with a moderate head. Aroma is like a clean lager like Harp or Stella, with a slightly sour note. Flavor is the same, quite a bit better than the aroma though. Could easily drink 30 of these if they were cheaper. 2002 bottle: Wow... not a lot has changed. Still signs of lotsa carbonation, sourness, etc. Can’t believe it. Maybe I should go try my Busch 40 from 2003.

Berliner Kindl Weisse pours to a very hazy, very pale golden color with a bright white head, and a vibrant carbonation. The nose on this beer is very inviting with aromas of citrus and aromas of ripe fruit. The palate is tart and crisp with good flavors of wheat malt, and lactic sourness that with the vibrant carbonation, zings on the tongue. Berliner Kindl Weisse finishes with more thirst quenching wheat character up front, then ends with sharp lactic sourness that lingers. This is a refreshing, delicious beer, one perfect as a summer refresher, or a great beer to enjoy as an aperitif. At only about 2% abv, it is a very moderate drink, and one you call really drink a lot of. Berliner Kindl Weisse is actually the less sour of the two pure examples, and has more appeal than the shockingly sour Schultheiss Berliner Weisse. The additions of either raspberry or woodruff syrup give this beer a nice sweet and sour flavor, and cutting the sourness of this beer makes it even more drinkable. I enjoy it with the syrups, but I am a purist at heart, and like this one as is. Sadly in 2006, the Berliner Kindl Brauerei will be closing. The Oetker Group owns a number of breweries in Germany, including Kindl and Schultheiss. They have decided to close Kindl’s Berlin brewery, and have both Berliner Kindl Weisse and Schultheiss Berliner Weisse brewed at the Schultheiss Brauerei. This means that only one brewery in Berlin will be producing a pure version of Berliner Weisse, but under two different labels, and two different recipes. I hope Schultheiss does not change the Kindl recipe of this beer, and beer lovers will be able to enjoy two very distinct beers in a very rare style. This could work in favor for the American market, as Schultheiss which is not exported, could now find its way to American beer markets. It really would be a great thing to enjoy both these beers in the US. Time will tell. The only caveat about Berliner Kindl Weisse, is it quite expensive on the US market. Six packs of Berliner Kindl Weisse market for $12-$14. That seems to be an inflated price, but again, this is a rare beer style, brewed in limited quantities, so I think the price is justified.

Thanks to Bierbauch for this one. 11.1 oz bottle: A clear golden pour with a rocky white head. Scent is heavy lemon, wheat, and rather tart. Quite sugary taste with lemons, really sour, subtle wheat textures, and very carbonated. Palate is sweet and sour like a piece of sour candy. Interesting beer, almost candy like with a lemon sourness that is pleasing yet not too sugary that you want to wretch. Decent brew

Bottled. Pale pale cloudy yellow. Sour nose, with residual sugars and lemon. Very vinagary, harsh flavour. Light mouthfeel. The dryness is pretty nice.