Briar Weisse
Night Shift Brewing

smcolw from Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pinkish brown color. No head nor lace.

A very mild nose with little tartness to be registered.

The brew starts dry with the sourness kicking in quickly. Not extreme but still true to the Berliner roots. Highly carbonated with a neutral body. The finish is like an unsweetened lemon but it's not lip-puckering.

Nov 14, 2020

Amendm from Rhode Island

4.35/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

It takes a very strong pour to reach a skinny finger of loud fizzy white foam with no lacing or retention. Orange-peach color, very hazy and translucent. Hard to see my fingers through it.

Raw wheat along with aged fruits and berries greets the nose. Faint toasted wheat, very faint lactic acid sour smell that is not milky. Salt is noticeable, no hops detected.

Semi-sweet with low bitterness from salt (at first), fruitiness rides above the malt. Can't say I taste blackberries, the fruit taste is of lemon and orange with mixed berries and apple cider. Light malt bill per style, cracker and salty wheat thins support and balance the other flavors The finish is a quick drop-off of tangy, sour and salty flavors, salt lingers a while.

Light body, reserved carbonation allows a small head to reappear and disappear with a swish. Complex yet well balanced, maybe just a hair too salty. Not quite smooth yet session-able and refreshing. Alcohol is well hidden.

Canned on 7/6/20.

Aug 04, 2020

metter98 from New York

3.99/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: The beer is rather hazy pinkish red in color and has some yellowish hues. It poured with a short white head that quickly settled down, leaving a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of yogurt are present in the nose along with notes of blackberries.
T: The taste follows the smell and mostly has flavors of blackberries and creamy yogurt along with a slight amount of sourness and tartness.
M: It feels a bit more than light-bodied and somewhat creamy on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink. While the aromas and flavors of blackberries weren't that strong, I really liked those of the creamy yogurt.

Serving type: can

May 15, 2020

KRug from Massachusetts

4.28/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Canned 12/18/19

Pours a funny looking purple/red with a finger of fizzy white head that fades to a ring quickly

Lots of salt and citrus to lead the nose, jammy blackberry and blueberry notes balance out the tart smell, with a bit of wheat to smooth it all out

The taste here is everything I get from the aroma, just amplified, and that's fine by me. There's no real funk, but this has a clean lactic tartness that ties everything together

Drinks as light as you'd expect it to, extremely refreshing even on a cold night, nicely carbonated and leaves a slick, lemony finish

Just an incredible weisse right here, my second variant from Night Shift. I can see why the prices are a bit high for these, but I wish they would come down just a bit, then I'd buy them constantly

Feb 18, 2020

hoptheology from South Dakota

4.32/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

16 oz can from connecticutpoet poured into Rogue speigl.

Dark blackberry purple with a creamy head of 1/2 finger.

Aroma of minerals, blackberry, lemon zest, bubblegum, fruity funk, and stone fruit.

Very nice fruited flavors - blackberry smoothie, lemon ice, a dash of salt. Nice sourness to back it up. Finish is of lush blackberry, more sour tannic notes, and ripe citrus zest.

Feel is crisp and juicy with a creamy body. Medium bodied.

Overall one of my favorite sours I've had. Really nice stuff. Would have/trade for again.

Aug 18, 2019

digboy from New Hampshire

4.43/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep and rich blackberry puree color, thick and opaque. The head is fizzy at 1-2 fingers but quickly settles to a film. This looks really good.

The smell is berries, lemon and toast, slightly sweet. Again, very well received here.

The taste is very similar - kind of like a blackberry smoothie but with the twist of lemon peel thrown in for a little tartness. Sourness is mild and the toast flavors linger in the finish along with the fruit.

Feel is thick and creamy, very soft. Moderate tartness and virtually no bitterness

This is a fantastic offering. So well balanced and inviting. I'm glad I got 4 now. May need more :) It is reminiscent of the best that Deciduous is putting out for fruited sours, for comparison.

Mar 19, 2019

Severymusic from Massachusetts

4.56/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

New Year's Eve on-site flight of 4 of Night Shift weisses, 2.5oz each.

This was absolutely the winner of the 4 weisses I tried (nectar, mainer, Pomona and briar). Light to medium purple hue, delightfully sour/tart, feels like a milkshake. If I knew how I would buy a kegs worth of this.


I try to review every beer I drink. I like to think it forces me to objectively improve my sense of taste over time, helps me understand styles and flavors I like, and most importantly the BeerAdvocate weighted ranking system depends on reviews.

Jan 02, 2017