Berliner Passion Weisse
Brasserie Dunham

another lovely beer from dunham, who can really do it all, but rocks with these funky, fruited, wild and sour types. this is a bright and clean berliner as a base, where the wheat can still be tasted and felt, and the tartness is high but the acidity here is not harsh, its a smart beer, and is probably excellent on its own, even some fruity hops come on late to my tastes. the passion fruit though is huge in here, thankfully its very natural, but it does take over a little bit. its own natural tang resonates beautifully with the lactic souring thats already present, and the freshness is crazy even though i think this was bottled some time ago. there is a wonderful tropical bouquet here, the hops contributing some as well, fresh citrus, lemon and tangerine, passion fruit of course, even a subtle stroke of vanilla though it somehow, still wheaty as well. nice tang, drinkable for a sour, and with champagne effervescence on terms of texture. this is uplifting and summery, would probably do well in a gin barrel too. fun beer, light and tasty, great use of the fruit, but maybe a little less interesting on the yeast side than i have come to expect from these guys, some brett or wild element would really set it off! a fun one to share around with old friends!

edit: i loved this with about a year on it! not normally a style i would save real long, but acting on a hunch given the funky stuff these guys do, i was rewarded for hanging onto this awhile. the fruit hasnt faded at all, and a neat rustic mild funkiness has risen up, not overly wild or anything, but a little more maturity and fermentation nuance than before, and not really any more sour, just gorgeous now, glad i took the chance on doing so! one of the better fruited berliners ive had in some time, these guys just kill it!