Riserva
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

RiservaRiserva
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From:
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Wild Ale
Ranked #469
ABV:
11.4%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,108
Avg:
4.1 | pDev: 13.17%
Reviews:
345
Ratings:
1,054
Status:
Active
Rated:
Apr 03, 2022
Added:
Jun 14, 2008
Wants:
  189
Gots:
  293
Ale with raspberry purée added and aged in oak barrels.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jurbanik:
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Rated by jurbanik from New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%

Sep 07, 2012
More User Ratings:
Photo of 86sportster883
Reviewed by 86sportster883 from Maryland

4.06/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is my last bottle of the 2014.2 version of this beer. At 8yrs. old, you never know what your going to get, but this one held up nicely in its corked & caged 750 ml bottle. Just a slight pop on removing the cork gives me comfort that the beer has endured. A slow careful pour into stemless tulip produces a short-lived thin white head while keeping the majority of the bottle sediment out of my glass. A residual white collar of tiny bubbles sits atop a slightly hazy (could be chill haze) and beautiful reddish dark amber brown. The smell has big sweet raspberry notes atop a sour,funky, leathery base. I am not surprised by the very tart, sour, mildly acidic and raspberry flavors that dominate this beer. Even once my palate adjusted, I was still only able to drink this beer in sips. As it warms and opens up, the tartness becomes more balanced by a drying and slightly fizzy finish. This beer could serve as the perfect tart palate cleanser or beside a pot of steamed mussels. The mouthfeel is almost light and really enhances the beer’s drinkability, but this is not a beer that is going to convert any sour beer haters. Recommend splitting a 750ml bottle four ways during a light appetizer or between a salad and your main meal.
Apr 03, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by dsshuck from Delaware

Mar 13, 2021
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Rated by GOBLIN from Ohio

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Not worth the cost
Spent $20 on the bottle ... not bad but should've passed
Dec 25, 2020
 
Rated: 4.23 by Jcarriglio from Florida

Aug 20, 2020
Photo of jettjon
Reviewed by jettjon from Florida

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a bomber with no visible date into a Perfect Pint glass, it’s a translucent black cherry color with a small amount of precipitating carbonation beneath a non-existent head. Nose is strongly sour with hints of alcohol. Taste of very sour sweet tarts, I mean holy sour bomb. It just dominates the palate. Raspberry is discernible but it’s overwhelmed in sourness. A bit dry on the finish with more sourness like lemon rind. Mouthfeel is good, a bit bubblier than evinced by the carbonation, and nicely quenching. Overall: OK, perhaps this is heresy but I don’t think I’ll ever find a sour ale “great.” I can appreciate the nuances of flavor, but I suppose to me it’s the same as some people and very hoppy beers. I also get that I shouldn’t expect a head on this type of beer – but I do. It’s a one and done for me.
Jul 12, 2020
 
Rated: 4.06 by buzzedup from Pennsylvania

Oct 12, 2019
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Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2016 vintage... poured form a cork'n'cage bomber into a Dogfish head tulip

L: Nearly clear burgundy pour to start... 2nd glass had tons of sediment which hazed the glass. Two fingers of off-white head. Modest lacing.

S: Raspberry and jam. Tart and fruity.

T.F: Tart bordering on sour to start. Strong raspberry and stone fruit... some funk and oak from the barrel. Jam and fruit preserves. A little funk, but the fruit is forward throughout. Medium bodied... and more raspberry tartness to finish.

O: A simple but tasty brew... tart raspberry throughout with some barrel and funk. Really nice, and a few years in the bottle did nothing to diminish this beer. One I'd love to have again.
Jul 08, 2019
 
Rated: 4.18 by DokiDokiLitFam from New Jersey

Jul 04, 2019
Photo of smanson56
Reviewed by smanson56 from New Hampshire

4.06/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a Weyerbacher tulip type glass it pours a murky reddish brownish color with a nice 1/2 whitish head on top.
The nose is funky with a nice tart raspberry smell perhaps a little earthy oak.
The taste is sour but not overly so lots of raspberry going on here. Really a nice blend it's hard to believe this is a 10% ABV beer.
The mouthfeel is pleasant lot of carbonation but not over the top.
I'm assuming this is a recent bottling as there is no date on the bottle that I can find. Very pleasant to enjoy now I would like to let one age a few years to see how it holds up.
Apr 14, 2019
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Weyerbacher Brewing Co. "Riserva"
750 ml brown glass bottle, corked & caged.
$21.99 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: As I pulled this out of the fridge I thought to myself "Weyerbacher Riserva, I haven't had one of these in a long time". It's been at least 4 years, and probably more like 6 or 8, but then when I looked at the receipt for it I realized why - $22!!! That's OK, I'm a fan, have been since day one, and I really like Dan although I haven't seen him in at least a decade. Enough of that though, on to the beer. It's a hazy dark ruby in color beneath a short head of foam that dissipates almost immediately. That's common for sour beers though, so I'm OK with it. In the nose it's fruity with raspberry and it has that raspy thing going on like real raspberries picked in a field and eaten at their freshest. Oak backs it up. That's all I get, those three simple notes. Could it be funkier? Sure. Could it be more fruity... I'm not so sure about that, well, at least not with the real raspberry character it has. I'm glad they didn't add any extract or extra sweetness to it. What about the taste? Pretty much the same. There's a touch of medium caramel to it from the malt, but that fresh, real raspberry note is there, more prominent, backed by tartness, and then dried by oakiness. It's not that funky but it is vinous, and there is a bit of a higher alcohol note going on. With that said, I guess you can expect that it finishes dry - being tart, vinous, oaky, and with a touch of heat will tend to do that to a beer. Again, I'm glad they left it as it is rather than trying to smooth it or sugar it up because it's really unique and it would be a shame to mess with that to try to appease those with less experienced palates. In the mouth it's medium bodied but with some residual dextrins to it, and except for the fine bubbled moderate carbonation it has a kind of a wine-like feel to it. Raspberry wine? Yes, exactly, it's very much like that. So what have I missed? Looks like nothing. I'm enjoying it. It's really unlike any other beer I've ever had.
Review #6,539
Mar 24, 2019
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Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle from 2012

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip to a reddish brown topped by a half finger of dense light tan head which fades quickly to a small collar around the edge of the glass
S: Smells strongly of raspberries with hints of oak and sourness along with a little funk
T: Taste is tart raspberries with some oaky funk along with some nice building sourness. Raspberry stays pretty forward throughout though. Swallow is a little caramel, vanilla, raspberries and oak with some lingering tartness.
M: This beer has a moderate amount of body with a slightly syrupy mouthfeel. Carbonation is slightly lower than anticipated for the style but not bad. The acidity gives this beer a drying finish.
O: Overall this one is well brewed and has stood up to time very well. Good complexity and flavors and if that ABV is correct it is deceptively drinkable. Well worth a try if you can find it.
Sep 07, 2018
 
Rated: 3.67 by mjw2808 from Maryland

Jul 21, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by paulish from New York

May 31, 2018
 
Rated: 4.24 by Scottsbeer from Florida

May 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Patches826 from Massachusetts

Apr 26, 2018
 
Rated: 4.26 by TheBeerdedCharmer from Pennsylvania

Feb 07, 2018
Photo of Duncian
Reviewed by Duncian from Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This one definitely has some batch-to-batch variation, and I've had bottles that were aged too long. Generally a big fan, though the sourness can be pretty intense.
Jan 17, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by Lukass from Ohio

Jan 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.22 by Zaktcc from Maryland

Jan 10, 2018
Riserva from Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 1054 ratings