The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

Brewed by The Bruery
Style: Berliner Weisse
Placentia, California USA

750, only capped, from the first batch to hit Indiana’s shelves. Nose is lightly tart but very wild, sort of dusty barnyard, pastry notes, and mild but creamy yeast starter. Hazy, very pale yellow body with a creamy and dense (miniscule bubbles!), heavily lacing, sparkling, brilliantly white head. Taste is much tarter than expected but superbly balanced, a little lemon cleaner in with the lambic-y sourness, but the smooth aftertaste is the real story, waves and waves of lightly-baked bread with stronger sourdough and pretzel overtones. Extremely long-lasting milky/ lacto tone. Well-attentuated, dry goodness, slimy but full and smooth, creamy body. Avoids all of the harsh metallic notes that Kindl offers but still lacks some of the wild spontaneity of Schtltheiss. So, on the whole, YES! We finally have a great (great) Berliner in the States.

Love this style, so pardon the bias. On tap at Blind Lady, mixed with a little Framboise on second glass. Flavor gets two words: Wicked Tahbht (Tart for you non-bostonians). Lacto and brett clear and loud, a bit of sour apple and some wheatyness. Framboise not my fave to mix, but gave it a nice sweetness that made it more palatable to my less adventurous friends. Had a transparent blonde color with great carbonation. Light and sparkly, perfect for a hot day in San Diego.

Very light clear straw yellow; thin head. Very dirty aroma, overripe apples, sourdough, clay, flour. Very easy drinker. Very light, crisp. Flavor of tortilla chips. Delicate sour component. Saison Rue didn’t really hit the spot for me, but this one does. Really delicious! Don’t look now, but The Bruery is making some of the more exciting beers in the US right now.

Ok presentation, whitish yellow and just a white ring on top. Pretty grainy nose but in a nice berliner weisse way...lots of cereal and wheat..I actually dig it. Holy shit, the bruery may have temporarily redeamed itself with this...this actually tastes like a true berliner...tart and grainy, with the emphasis on the tart. Very nice and amazingly to style...if I was a mormon or something but with the same super abnormal sophisticated palate that everyone knows I possess, I may drink ths daily. I still hate the bruery, but about 1 10th as much as before.

Re-Rate: After 10 bottles or so, I must increase the flavor and overall impression scores....this has become my go-to beer. A bit on the expensive side for an every day drinker because its only 3.1%, but its just soooo damn good!

Sampled on 10/30/2009. This Berliner Weisse pours a slightly hazy pale yellow straw color from a 750ml bottle. Medium sized white foamy head, with nice retention, and decent lacing. The aroma is tart lemons, some bread and some tartness. A medium bodied Berliner Weisse. The malts are fruity and tart, crisp and sharp. Nice balance between the tartness and the malts. Excellent carbonation. Lots and lots of flavor for a 3.1% beer. Excellent interpretation of the style, its not as tart as some of the others, you can drink this one without worrying about tooth enamel or stomach problems later… No not really but. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and crisp. Aftertaste is tart.

Draft @ RnH. White head dissapears quick leaving just a white ring. Aroma is earthy and acidic lemony. Flavor is even more tart then the aroma but it’s offset beautifully with a sweet graininess. This was one of my favorites at EBF and one of the best versions of the style I’ve had.

Growler generously donated to the tasting by pepsican. Thanks! Poured a hazy pale yellow color with a white head. Enticing aromas including the likes of cereal grain and distinct yeasty bread dough accented by whiffs of white wine vinegar and cow pasture funk. Light bodied with moderate acidity. Lots of good funk in the flavor relative to the New Glarus Berliner (tasted side by side). Clean, crisp, and dryish with sour fruit, tart citrus, white wine vinegar, and subdued cereal flavors. Great beer.

Tap at Spuyten Duyvil - this is what you want in a berliner weisse - nice full carbonation in the mouth - crisp, fresh wheaty character - dry, lightly acidic and lactic - light white wine character - tangy and tart, bordering on sour, but never going completely there - very refreshing, with lingering wheat/breadiness and mild earthy funk in the finish - lemon and peach throughout - fantastic.