Brett Berliner Weiss
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Moderately sour with a complex finish

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying this beer on-tap at the Tremont Taphouse at their annual Bell's tap takeover that always happens here on the second day (the first Saturday) of Cleveland Beer Week. Served in a pint glass, this beer draws a fairly cloudy, hazy medium golden color with a white head that's only about 1/4 of an inch thick when first served that settles to nothing at all eventually. Absolutely all but zero trace of lacing or foam. Aromas of crisp malts and nice hints of wheat followed by a bit of must and yeasty barnyard funk. He taste is pretty much the same, with crisp malts and wheat, followed by some must and yeasty barnyard funk that provides just a hint of tart sourness. Has a crisp, smooth, medium bodied, mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. As a clean finish with a fairly dry aftertaste. A pretty good beer all around, but this drinks more like a saison to me than a Berliner Weisse.

Eric

Hazy medium gold. Light funk in the smell and moderate in the taste. Very light brett notes go well with it. Light body and a very nice refreshing finish.

this is pretty pedestrian coming from bells, i havent been impressed by their sour or wild stuff, although i have only had a few, it sure seems like its not up to the standard they have for their other beers. this is a little amateurish. pale yellow, lemon flesh colored with a short head. it smells more like lacto than brett, and tastes pretty acidic and puckery throughout. the brett is more cheesy than funky in the nose, and really doesnt impact the flavor very much at all. slight slight funk at the most. wheat malt abounds, which is what i like the most about this one, more substantial and grainy than most berliner types, and i think it adds a nice element. good carbonation here and well dry, but the souring and brett parts are nothing special. i would think a brewery like bells would isolate and culture their own house brett and make some really interesting beers with it, develop their own unique funk profile like a jester king or an allagash has done so splendidly, but this seems all sloppy and forced, not refined in any way at all. still, drinkable and refreshing if you dont mind the cheesy bit. overall this is a letdown, especially coming from a brewery as awesome as bells.

 

Pours a light lemon/yellow color with a thin white head. smell is tart with fruit,cheese and funk, Taste is sour and tart on the front with wheat and ripe fruit . Mouth feel is tart fruity with spritzy carbonation. an 8oz pour was enough of a serving for me.

 

 

 

This pours a light gold. There’s a crisp, tart lemony note to this. Flavor has a clean squeeze of lemon with that touch of brett. I’d love to try this with some age on it, if that was an option (bottles?).