Schultheiss Berliner Weisse
Berliner Kindl Brauerei

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From notes, 8-13-2011
Thanks Brad for pulling this one out.

Bottle is seemingly from 1953. What?!

A - Clouded yellow body, a white ring of head.

S - light lemony citrus tartness, and a touch of funk.

T - Tart and light, and the sensation of being watered-down. hmmm

M - light and drying

O - Well, it's ok. If it's really this old it has held up nicely. Not bad at all.

What an interesting beer to try. This squat 330mL bottle was capped some time in the 1950's, provided by Brad for a little tasting at Jackie O's. I guess we all thought it would be an odd beer, but wow was it good.

It pours a medium-dark golden color with a decent amount of haze. A very thin foam shows some life in this old beer. A little tart in the nose, with very little oxidation that I can smell. It tastes really nice, especially given the geriatric nature of it, tart citrus and mild funk. Surprisingly nice, I didn't really mind the low carbonation as the flavors were so compelling.

By a wide margin this is not the worst I've tried of this style, and if you somehow get a chance at it I recommend it.

Thanks Brad for opening this bottle from... The 1950s???
Incredible

Pours a hazy yellow. A touch of white head. Looks... Interesting. Smells tart and sweet. The aroma is a bit lacking. Light tart sourness. A nice fruity flavour this is tasty! Little low on carbonation but overall pretty wonderful.

When my fascination with this style of brew started, I desperately wanted the chance to try the real deal from Berlin. Having only 2 options available (Kindl and Schultheiss) I never thought I would get to try Schultheiss since they stopped producing their berliner weisse offering some 7 or 8 years ago. Enough of the sentiments, lets get this into a glass.

This brew's presentation is a stubby 11.2oz bottle. No date code to be found but as previously mentioned, this is at least a 7 or 8 year old bottle which you can tell from the fading of the label and yellowish stain/coloration which probably use to be white. The label is quite similar to the one featured but arranged slightly different with a large glass of the brew sitting center stage on the label and vibrant wording of "Original Berliner Weisse" below. Poured into a snifter, this brew streams a color of lightly stained yellowish water, wow this is light. As it comes to rest in my glass, it takes on a deeper coloration of orange. Despite a very careful pour, some particulate finds its way into the glass and exaggerates the mild hazy look to the brew. An initial surge of white head appeared composed of large bubbles that rapidly dissolved to nothing across the top. The brew appears nearly still until you agitate the glass and bubbles rise from suspension. Not even a single spot of lace clings to the glass.

The smell of this brew is strikingly sharp with lactic acidity. My mouth salivates with the first whiff of this brew. Initial notes of lemon and citrus are noticed before turning to a bit of bready grain sweetness and yogurt. The sweeter aspect of this brew's nose brings out some deep fruited quality like pear. There is an ever-present funky aspect that I want to say is brett but it is so faint that it gets lost in the other aspects of this brew's nose. However, as the brew comes up to temperature it is unmistakable, there is a mild barnyard quality mixed with must to this brew with a touch of plastic and sulfur across the backend of the smell.

The taste is lemony and fresh with a citrus bite and lactic sourness somewhat like yogurt. It is not too sharp that it isn't refreshing but I will say that it seemingly strips all the moisture out of my tongue. A mild cereal grain flavor is present mingled with some fruited quality beyond just lemon, it hits with mild pear notes more like the skin than flesh of pear. The aftertaste includes a mild plastic note and some funky brett flavors. The brett is actually much more noticeable in the aroma of this brew than in the flavor but it is still present and very much enjoyable. Once the brew goes beyond ideal temperature, it brings out more character somewhat like straw or hay grain flavoring.

I cannot believe people would insert syrup into this brew in order to make it more approachable. Yeah I am sure some sugar would ease the sharpness and acidity of this brew but wow is it good by itself. This little brute packs an amazing array of flavors that completely evolve as it comes up to temperature in my glass. It is light bodied and modestly carbonated. Perhaps this is the downfall how old this offering is, maybe some of the co2 leaked out, my only complaint about this brew is that it could have used a little more carbonation. However, as-is it is pretty fantastic. I wish I had a case of this stuff to enjoy in this blistering heat and share with my friends who appreciate the style.

30 year old bottle shared by the one and only daknole.

A: Pours a very pale yellow with a nice dose of fizz. Very little retention and no lace.

S: Lots of sourness going on with sublte hints of lemon.

T: Sour right from the start, I would say it may have toned down over the years but it is still damn drinkable. There is a nice citrus splash hiding beneath with a bit of acid light sweet tarts.

M: Very light in body, wonderful carbonation for a beer of this vintage.

D: Not bad to be honest. I have to say it is the oldest beer I have ever drank!

Had this at the Q-ba cuban restaurant near friedrichstrasse in Berlin.

Did i not have the same beer as the other reviewers? i was far less overwhelmed by the soury smell and tastes or the lactic acid, and definetly far less impressed by an albeit decent beer.

the nose is more prone to this citrusy wit rather than weiss thing but nothing too complex. taste was banana and cloves, perhaps a bit sweet and sour at the end with a medium full body and considerably fizzy, perhaps that's what it's all about.

decent, nothing to die for.

Had this as a dessert beer mit Schuss: Himbeere in an Italian restaurant on Alexanderplatz.

A - A flourescent red, with a candyfloss like rocky white head that is everlasting! lacing is amazing! Aesthetically, an amazing beer.

S - Lots of sweet raspberries and a sour bubblegum smell. No distinct malts or hops

T - as the smell very sweet, bubblegum and candy.

M - very spritzy and light.

D - This is really a desert beer, the sweetness of the syrup really would put you off any food. Had this without the syrup before, but not reviewed, will need to do this. However, if i had to choose which syrup, i would choose the Waldmeister over Himbeere, Himbeere is too sweet.

Will need to try this without the syrup, for a tarter experience

I have had a Berliner Weisse before, which was an acidic assault on my intestines. Even smelling the beer, would burn away most of my nosehairs. But that was before my BA days and now my taste has "matured" (At least I like to think that).

The beer pours a very light yellow color with low carbonation and the head has dissapeared after a couple of minutes, making it look like lemonade. Not the best appearance ever.

Smell was not very inviting, clear lactic acid wiffs, with some wheaty notes. "Fresh" would be the right term here.

Taste was slightly different, again lactic acid, but in the taste it is much more mild and really fresh. The thin body seems a little too thin, but together with the dryness and acidity, it all comes together. There is also some wheat and some citric notes, that remind me of lemons.
As I near the end of this beer, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. For a 3,3% beer, this is extremely tastefull and drinkable. What a perfect beer!

Always a fun beer to drink. It'll certainly wake you up. Smells decidedly and citrusy sour. Tart and fruity. Looks slightly hazy (from wheat additions). More lightly carbonated than I remember. Medium yellow in color with a white carbonation film on top. Tastes mildly sweet at the very beginning, but sour citrus burst cover up the sweetness quickly. Sour and tart to an almost astringent level. Thin and acidic to the mouth. Though slight carbonation, plays much on the toung nad palate. Finishes supringly crisp and clean. Proves to be a well brewed beer. Aftertaste has some residual sourness, but adds to the fun.

Thanks to Rosemary and Stuart for bringing this back from their trip to Berlin!
Poured into a wide mouthed Kindl Berliner Weisse glass (more like a stemmed bowl) I happened to have acquired a couple years ago, served at refrigerator temperature, whatever that is.
The beer pours an amazingly bright, sunny yellow. Hazy, kinda like pale lemonade. A thick mass of white head forms with a vigorous pour, more like a dunking of the bottle into the glass, dropping down to a thin collar almost immediately. An audible hissing and popping sound as it shrinks, like soda. Very odd. The head further retreats with each subsequent sip, disappearing completely after about an inch's worth of beer is consumed. Now it looks just like lemonade.
The aroma continues to be uncharacteristic to my experiences with german brewing. Decidely sour, almost lambic-like. This is my first foray into the berliner weisse style, so I only have the vaguest notions of what to expect. A bit funky, with an impressively sour wheat malt quality. No hops to speak of, only a haze of wheat sourness with a particularly wild feel. Lime, some lemon and notes of newly cut grass, along with a barn-like hay quality. Mousey, I suppose.
The flavor opens with a refreshing wheaty dryness, almost instantly enveloping the palate in a bone dry acidity. Kept within reason at all times, but still dominating the overall experience. A pervasive lime flavor seems to be present throughout the experience, very noticable to me after having polished off a gallon of my aunt's "limeade" in the past couple days of this sweltering heat wave New England's been enjoying. Some straw or hay notes, with a definite wild yeast feel. Not a lot of variation within this beer, mainly keeping with the sour, acidic theme. Some musty, powdery yeast in the finish, tapering off with a light sourness clinging to the tongue. The vigorous carbonation serves to accent the already light body. Very dry in the finish, leaving me sucking my teeth after each sip. If there's a better summer beer for lambic lovers, I haven't tried it. Beer meets lemonade is my best comparison.
According to this sites style guidelines, this is right on target. Amazingly flavorful for how mild it is in strength. I'd say it packs the flavor of a standard 5% brew into only 3.3%. Not terrifically complex, but surprising for how mild a brew it is. I was actually shocked when I saw the back label. Impressive, and certainly unique in the beer world. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to try this rarer beer style, fresh from Germany. Not quite something I'd want often, certainly not in the winter, but I could see myself craving this every time the thermometer hits 90F. Kind of a small beer for lambic aficionados.
Word on the street is that this is often served with either a raspberry or woodruff syrup. I haven't tried either, but I'd have to recommend trying the beer unadulterated first. It's delicious, especially if you like rather sour things.

Best before 06-08-07. Pours in without to much of an head and has a pale beercollor with a thick cloud. Nose is sour and malty and remembers (too) clean geuze. Taste is sour, dry and malty too without to much else to taste. Mouthfeel is quiet impresive; mostly cause of the sourness but this heavy sour taste influenses the drinkability negative. Good brew, more then just worth a try but rather drink a good geuze or lambic.