Dogfish Head Festina Peche

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

Pale golden, hazy, foamy short head. Pretty refreshing, I’ll have to remember it for the summer. Lightly tart, almost too grainy. Notes of citrus and peach but the peach is not overdone, it blends into the tartness and is not sweet. Finish is semi-dry. Fizzy. Not as sour as other Berliner weisse I’ve had but its a nice summer drink.

Departing the 12 ounce brown bottle it appears nontranslucent pale yellow with a creamy white head that evaporates slowly and the lace forms an even coating on the glass. Nose has a pleasant fruity aroma, with hints of malt and a little yeast, quite appealing. Start has a light to moderate malt presence, with the top light to medium in feel, sweet at the front, with a pleasant bit of tanginess. Finish is moderately acidic, a touch of hops noticeable, sweet to the end with a dry and lingering aftertaste, a pleasant change from my over the top hop and alcohol laden beers.

Very pale yellow. Big bubbles for a craft brew. Aroma of peach yoghurt. Flavour is mild and tart, with a prominent but not overbearing peachiness. Finish is sweet & sour. A simple, refreshing brew that disappears very quickly - so quickly I barely got any notes on the paper.

12 oz. bottle. Very light floral aroma. Hazy pale gold color with a decent white head. Peach is detectable as the glass approaches the lips. Starts slightly sour, with light peach flavor that gets stronger as the fizzy carbonation goes away. The body is probably thin, but the carbonation makes it difficult to say. It’s very dry at the finish, and the mild sour could well be a citrus presence. There is absolutely no bitter, and the peach does last awhile. Quite different and delicious.

12 oz bottle. Pour is a really cloudy yellow/gold. Not much of a head. Aroma is slightly peachy, but also sour. I see that the official style is listed as a berliner weisse, and the flavor profile has similarities to a weisse, but the fruit sweetness isn’t what I want in my berliner weisse. I do agree with the food pairings, fish or salad. Not too bad. Body is a little sharp carbonation and a tart puckering finish.

Bottle: Pours a hazy effervescent golden with a small, nicely-lacing, wispy white head. Aroma of slightly doughy yeast and some pale wheat and tart fruity peaches. Body starts with a mild sweetness and big tart citrusy balance toward a crisp, authentic finish. An enjoyable Berliner Weisse.

Tap pour. Poured a murky yellow with a fair amount of sediment. The aroma had a light tartness but not as much as I was expecting. The peach was very light. The flavor was again much lighter on the tartness than I expected. The fruit was very light. I don’t know if I could have picked it out as peach if I didn’t know but I thought the flavor was nice and the beer was refreshing.

(Bottled on 05/31/2007) Light, crisp, sour, and dry. The peach element is on the restrained side, which is good. The palate is electric with a nice zip of lemon and lime peel. Overall, a nice summer beer that is refreshing and easy to drink, but not too complex.