Increase Wheat
Milwaukee Brewing Company

Surprised how much I liked this one. A nice combination of malt, tart and berry. I do wish the abv was higher. Good summer beer.

 

 

 

12oz brown bottle, sample from the brewery.

Great clarity, bubbly with a lace that stays. Flour, faint lactic funk, and a mild tartness in the nose. Juicy kiss of tartness, good lactic action with the addition gooseberries. Lots of crispness and a light enough body for the style, dry & clean finish.

A great brew to switch things up. Well done!

Pours clouded light yellow with a thin, lasting head. Lacing slides down the glass.

The smell is of sour bread with medicine-like fruit (I take it that's the gooseberry. Something chemical-ish I can't quite put my finger on (soap?).

Yep - soap. some soap mixes in. There is some sour and a touch of plastic-like berries. Some grainy malt comes through. Odd aftertaste with a stale yeast/bread character.

The light carbonation would almost work well enough to be okay, but i'm not getting a refreshing character to it.

It was a little tough to get through the beer, but I managed to. This just didn't work for me.

 

 

 

poured 12oz bottle into wiezen glass.

A - Pale yellow in color with a 2 finger white fizzy head that rapidly fades into oblivion. No lacing.

S - Aroma is kind of funky, almost like overripe apples, grapes, musty wood with hints of vinegar. Definitely has a tart scent to it. Only a trace of gooseberry.

F - A flavor filled lemon, tart apple, and sour grape that all collide on the palate. Not quite sure what the finish is, but it has a distinct taste. It is probably the light berry notes of gooseberry. The flavors work very well together.

M - Light, well carbonated and prickly. A touch of dryness on the finish.

O - A tasty Berliner that is pretty good and a nice option other than New Glarus. I would like the gooseberry to stand out a bit more, but it was a nice flavor.

 

 

 

 

Nice tartness, but too sweet and too full for this style.

 

 

 

 

12 oz bottle poured into a weizen glass.

A - Cloudy wisps of yeast float through the lightly hazed pale straw yellow beer while effervescent carbonation feeds the everlasting pillowy white head.

S - Delicate notes of dark berry drift through light acidic tartness brought on by a sour mash that gives the soft wheat and pale malt a crisp and refreshing appeal!

T - Lemon citrus zest darts across the tongue with complimentary light acidic tartness, book-ended by soft wheat and grainy pale malt before a kiss of fruit punctuates the finish.

M - Light bodied, effervescent, and tart, Milwaukee's take on a Berliner fits the bill nicely if just a little on the subtle side of the style.

O - The delicate use of Gooseberries in Milwaukee's Increase Wheat is so subtle it might be overlooked but, the fruit undertones work nicely with the beer's light flavor and refreshingly tart finish!

12 oz bottle to 8 oz taster

Appearance: Vigorous pour yielded about a finger of thing, transparent head that foamed out quickly to nothing. Pretty true to style in that regard and also in it's golden murkiness. A touch thicker/whiter head would have bumped this up over 4.

Smell: Tart and malty. Minor citric notes, and some sour berry notes most likely from the gooseberry addition.

Taste: A nice wash of light tart lemon and just a hint of berries. I think this is just enough berry- if folks want to add syrups they still can, but this drinks well as it is. A nice malt backbone keeps this beer from being too transparent flavor-wise. The traditional BW flavors are there, even if they are a bit muted in tartness. Lingering malt invites another sip for the tartness. Well done.

Mouthfeel: For such a light beer it never feels too thin on the palate. Wheat balance in the recipe is good.

Overall: This is a really refreshing beer. At 3.1% I didn't expect much from a brewery that hasn't put out a beer quite like this before. I picked up a single and put it through the paces- will definitely seek this one out for summer days and camping trips. Don't fear the Gooseberry, it's barely there in the best possible way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours a frothy, white head that collapses into a nice two finger head. Bright, tart aroma is fruity. Hazy, straw color. Starts with a mild tartness which blends with the gooseberry as the tartness rises a bit more in intensity. Big waves of rich malt come through. Gooseberry clings on in the background during this. Finish is wonderful malt with a touch of berry. Good, effervescent mouthfeel. I love the dry finish.

Wow, This is, easily, one of the better Berliners I've had. It's got nice tartness, GREAT maltiness, and the gooseberry is a perfect addition; it bridges the smooth malt and fruity tartness. If you like the Berliner Weiß style, this will not disappoint.