Berliner Weisse
White Birch Brewing

Berliner WeisseBerliner Weisse
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From:
White Birch Brewing
 
New Hampshire, United States
Style:
Berliner Weisse
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.67 | pDev: 15.8%
Reviews:
149
Ratings:
486
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 18, 2022
Added:
Jun 22, 2010
Wants:
  47
Gots:
  55
Our approach was to brew this beer with Lactobacilius for a refreshing and authentic interpretation of a classic summer refresher.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of nickb2000
Reviewed by nickb2000 from New Hampshire

4.09/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Nucleated Tulip
Look: Hazy dark orange, pouring a 1.5 finger head, which dissipated into a ring with lacing
Smell: Classic sour smell, hint of a fresh cut grass, wheat malt, and citrus. Slightest note of yeast
Taste: Lightly tart, with lemony juicy-ness to it. Funky and malty. Very clean finish, leaving behind the lightest after taste of wheat malt
Feel: Moderate mouthfeel. With a clean and crisp finish. Moderate carbonation.
Overall: Simple yet delicious. No off putting notes, but nothing amazing either. A perfect example of a berliner.
Sep 18, 2022
 
Rated: 4.43 by dmwils from Massachusetts

Nov 26, 2021
 
Rated: 3.99 by bottmfeedr from Texas

Jun 13, 2020
Photo of JerzDevl2000
Reviewed by JerzDevl2000 from New Jersey

3.68/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I like this style of beer as it oddly seems to be the one that I've had more than any other lately. That's because a bunch of Other Half brews in my stash were of this style as this was a bit more true to form than theirs were. A lot of it had to do with the Lactobacilius and the light amount of alcohol that was felt on my palate, which allowed the flavors to subtly shine.

As to be expected, this had a clear hue to it but it wasn't quite golden as it was more of a ruddy apple than I'm accustomed to from a Berliner Weisse. The aroma had a lot of yeast as well, along with apple and pear fruit tartness that was even more prevalent in the taste. Lots of lemon, cracker, and champagne in the taste as this was quite light and bubbly on the palate with some intriguing funkiness that held my attention throughout. Slick on the palate and dry like white wine in the aftertaste, this had a European feel to it since there weren't any crazy fruit flavors or embellishments to be had here...

Not a lot of alcohol here as this felt stronger than it was in actuality, with no trace of booze on my breath once I finished this off. Sure, I prefer beers of this style to be from overseas but this was a nice take on the style that was accessible and true to form. I just wish that the can was dated!
Mar 28, 2020
 
Rated: 4.2 by Leftover1223 from New Hampshire

Mar 13, 2020
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4.31/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
Can to pokal, the appearance was a nice looking burnt semi-bright yet cloudy yellow color with a stifled head of fizziness. No lace.
The aroma had some lemon coated sour to tart wheaty character running through light whiffs of vinous white grapes. Some grassiness.
The flavor leans towards the sour side as it should for the style and ran through some tart punchy notes. Quick aftertaste of bitter lemon rind and tart wheat.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a good sessionability about it. Good carbonation and some bite that I liked (nice punch!). Finishes crisp with wheaty tartness.
Overall, this is what most brewers should be seeking to mirror this style in the USA. End the abuse of fruits in these beers!
Sep 07, 2019
Photo of Sweinsier
Rated by Sweinsier from Massachusetts

4.21/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
This is one of my favorite refreshing summer beers. Perfect sourness. Almost tastes like cider. So refreshing. Simple and crisp.
Jun 20, 2019
Photo of Amendm
Reviewed by Amendm from Rhode Island

4.04/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
An easy pour from a 12-oz. can is all that’s needed for two fingers of white creamy froth with long retention and streaks of lacing. Pale yellow-straw color, cloudy from yeast haze.
The smell features sourdough bread, Wheat Thins, lemon, canned mandarin orange and faint sour milk.
Neutral on sweetness with faint bitterness. The taste begins with the items from the smell plus grainy wheat and some sharpness from lactic acid. Green grape and peach flavor are added during the middle.
The finish is quick and clean, a mild astringent sour aftertaste lingers a while.
Light bodied, abundant carbonation. Refreshingly smooth, high ABV for the style yet difficult to detect.
Not much malt sweetness or hop bitterness, matches style guidelines. A fitting example of an unfruited B.W.
Mar 19, 2019
 
Rated: 4.01 by lic217 from Connecticut

Dec 18, 2018
 
Rated: 3.44 by dzag from Connecticut

Nov 25, 2018
Photo of BeerAndGasMasks
Reviewed by BeerAndGasMasks from Virginia

4/5  rDev +9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From the can, it pours a hazy yellow color with a nice white head that slowly diminishes to about 1/8th of an inch thick. Slightly sour, lemony scent in the nose. The mouth gets hit by the sour flavor as well. Refreshing! Wheres the Waldmeistersirup??

2020 update: Yum!
Jun 29, 2018
Photo of WunderLlama
Reviewed by WunderLlama from Massachusetts

3.74/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Can poured into a Sam Adams glass
Pale yellow/ clear liquid, some carbonation , two finger frothy white foam cap
Aroma is tart, dry white wine, lemony
Taste is tart, dry white wine, lemony
Dry finish

Good beer
Jun 25, 2018
 
Rated: 3.95 by redsoxjim from Massachusetts

Jun 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.52 by eluvah from New York

Dec 17, 2017
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
A thanks to the creator of the canquest, woodychandler, for this beer. Poured from a 12 oz. can. Has a golden color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of tart, sharp lemons. Taste is bitter lemons, some wheat, very dry. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall ain't bad, but one is plenty for me.
Nov 16, 2017
 
Rated: 3.83 by Michaelm323 from New Hampshire

Oct 17, 2017
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

3.54/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
I am slowly getting The CANQuest (tm) back up & running after so many forays into The Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody.

From the CAN: "Our ales are unfiltered, unpasteurized and traditionally made. Bets served at 50-55 (deg. F) in your favorite glass."; "At White Birch Brewing, our goal is to create great beer for the enthusiast. Each batch is brewed at our brewery in Hooksett, New Hampshire."; "Napoleon's troop referred to Berliner Weisse as the 'Champagne of the North' due to its lively and elegant character. Today this style is described by some as the most refreshing beer in the world. We feel our approach creates an authentic interpretation of a classic summer refresher."; "Crafted in small quantities to be savored for any occasion. We hope you enjoy this unique beer. [undersigned] Bill Herlicks, Founder".

Any time that a beer is labeled as "unfiltered" & in a CAN, it is getting the dreaded Crack! & inverted Glug. This time, I got a brief two fingers of foamy, fizzy, bone-white head with modest retention. Color was a deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < &). Nose had a sharpness that reminded me of sour milk. Hmm. Mouthfeel was kind of thin & watery. The taste was more tart than sour and had an odd vinousness, like sour grapes or grape vinegar. Either way, it was unusual in an already unusual style. I would not really describe it as "sour" and it was not even all that tart. Finish was dry, slightly vinous, and while not bad, per se, not something that I would want again.
Sep 26, 2017
 
Rated: 3.77 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

Sep 16, 2017
 
Rated: 3.96 by brojoho84 from Massachusetts

Aug 25, 2017
 
Rated: 4.05 by DrewSnyc667 from Massachusetts

Aug 10, 2017
Berliner Weisse from White Birch Brewing
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 486 ratings