Dogfish Head Festina Peche

Brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery
Style: Berliner Weisse
Milton, Delaware USA

yellow orange pour wow is this tart lke unripe peaches in a good way malty wheat flavors takes some getting used to but good

12oz Bottle from Sam’s Blue Light, Durham, NC. Pours a champagne foamy head over a cloudy white/yellow. Head dissipates quick. Aroma is tart peach, sweet and reminiscent of brut. Champagne like perlage. Tasts tart and acidic, astringent and pretty refreshing. I almost wouldn’t call it beer. I would serve in a champagne flute and drink it with a fried peach stuffed brie or other soft, delicate, creamy cheese. Aperti?

***RE-RATE 18-July-08***
2007 Vintage
12 oz bottle courtesy of bvc. Bottled 05 05 2008. Pour is cloudy yellow white - 4 inch pure white head. Bubbly and frothy head. Aroma tart citrus wheat. Some earthiness and funk, but more fresh smelling. Taste is dry, sour peach and wheat. I liked this just as much as last time. Very refreshing. (7,4,8,3,16 - 3.8)

***ORIGINAL RATING 3-June-08***
12 oz purchased from Capone’s in Norristown, PA, bottled in 2006. Pour is hazy white golden with a billowing pure white head. Head falls pretty fast. Initial aroma is a little skunky. After it opens up a bit, aroma is grainy, wheaty and pretty funky. Some real nice earthiness going on. Taste is very tart and acidic. Really easy drinking body, not light really, but certainly at that end of the spectrum. The finish is crisp, tart and has a return of the yeasty funkiness. Nice one, crisp, tart, funky and very refreshing. (8,4,7,3,16 - 3.8)

bottle. very subtle fresh peach, fruit aroma. very light yellow-orange color, zero head, looks almost like fruit juice (somehow reminds me of watered down orange juice concentrate). flavor starts off pretty acidic, slight burn on the back of the toungue, progresses to a more sour fruit taste (not overbearing though), peach, mango fruit taste clear in the finish and lingers for a bit. overall very intesting as expected, good for hot summer day.

My Bottom Line:
This approachable Berliner Weisse has a light wheat character to match a quiet peachy fruitiness, leading to a moderately tart and watery finish. It’s clean and überdrinkable, but it’s ultimately soporific, as far as I’m concerned.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A ring of foam circles the cloudy blond.
-The body is really thin and the carbonation quite low, which is to be expected, but the tartness and fruitiness are so shallow it makes me focus on the frail mouthfeel too much.
-Our friend Paul’s own berliner weisse with peaches developed its fruitiness and tartness a lot better, and it was 2.5% abv on top of that!
-I’m not sure I would’ve found peaches in there if I hadn’t known.

Bottle.

some tart peach aroma with lemon as well. hazy soft yellow, seems darker gold near the top of the glass, and a hazier straw at the bottom. saints be praised! that’s good! (mind you, i used to do shots of lemon juice in my grandma’s kitchen) fiercely tart up front, matched quickly with the soft wheat, and finishes dry and clean, only to spike again with the next sip. i had mine with breakfast, you should too.

Second beer from dogfish head i have tried, not bad at all, needs more alcohol as 4.5% is pretty low. Really tarty and strong carbonation. A little lighter on that might have helped. But not bad for 3 bucks a bottle.

From a bottle, pours a hazy copper with little to no head. Aromas of tart lemon and some peachy notes. Taste tart and sweet very wine-like. Definetely worth a try.