Drink'In Berliner White Wine Barrels
Mikkeller ApS

 

375ml bottle, with more of that weird bra-strap meme crap going on for this one's label.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, pale golden straw colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, loosely foamy, and somewhat chunky bone-white head, which leaves some splendid stardust pattern lace around the glass as it lazily subsides.

It smells of faintly sour lemon/lime, musty green apple flesh, a bit of horsey funkiness, white wine lees, wet hay, gritty wheaten malt, a touch of salty and crackery graininess, and very tame earthy and dead floral hop bitters. The taste is grainy and crackery pale malt, a lesser edgy wheatiness, semi-sweet lemon juice, lime cordial, Granny Smith apples, subtly oaky dry white wine, ethereal vanilla, thankfully hard to really get a read on funky notes, and more understated hay and straw-like bitterness.

The carbonation is quite active in its intense yet coddling frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and generally smooth, as the sour and tart essences walk a fine line of non-interference here. It finishes trending dry, the tart citrus and muted white wine the order of the lingering day.

Overall, this is a fairly decent example of the style, with the barrel treatment barely tangible, at best (especially in the ABV, I mean c'mon, a 2.8% BA brew - my heavens!). Nothing fancy, just a straightforward tart, sour, salty, and faintly funky weak-sauce offering - for those who get their fix out of such things.

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 1/28/2021. Pours slightly hazy very pale straw color with a 2 finger dense and fluffy white head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a large cap that lasts. Dense soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of lightly tart lemon, lime, green apple, pear, white wine, oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, wheat, cracker, light lacto funk/leather, and yeast/oak earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/acidic/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and light malt notes; with solid strength. Taste of tart lemon, lime, green apple, pear, white wine, oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, wheat, cracker, light lacto funk/leather, and yeast/oak earthiness. Moderate fruity/acidic tartness and yeast/tannic oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of tart lemon, lime, green apple, pear, white wine, oak, vanilla, hay, straw, pepper, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/acidic/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and light malt flavors; with a nice malt/tart/spiciness balance, and zero astringent flavors after the finish. High carbonation and light body; with a very smooth, crisp, dry, acidic, and lightly tannic/grainy balanced mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 2.8%. Overall this is a very good barrel aged Berliner weisse. All around good complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/acidic/spicy yeast, wine barrel, and light malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and refreshing to drink. Very light on malt presence, but still very flavorful; with great balance between lacto/yeast and barrel flavors. A very enjoyable offering.