1809 Berliner Weisse

Name:  Professor Fritz Briem - 1809 Berliner Weisse

Style:  Berliner Weissbier
ABV:  5.00%
BeerAdvocate Link:  http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23495/36378

My Rating (1–5):  3

Tasting Comments:  Pale, cloudy orange-gold with a tall, white head of foam. The smell carries a little bit of weizen yeast esters, but mostly a sour, vinegary funk that's a little musty as well. The taste is light; a little lemony, a little like cider. It's slightly musty and chalky tasting. There isn't much wheat presence, just a hint of weizen yeast in there. Finishes fairly clean, with just a few lingering remnants of that lactic sourness hanging out in the cheeks.

Notes:  This is a beer style I'd have loved to get my hands on in Germany, but I just wasn't in the right part of the country for that. In Berlin, these are commonly ordered mit Schuss, or "spiked". That means adding a sweet syrup, like a red raspberry or green woodruff syrup. I have no idea what woodruff tastes like, but I'd have given it a shot.

The adjectives used above might sound a bit negative: musty and chalky and vinegary. But they're not. It's just the way these sour ales are, including lambics and geuzes. This is a decent beer, but maybe not punchy enough. It tastes like it's the light version of something more serious.