Druif Blanc
pFriem Family Brewers

2023 vintage

Appearance: Pours a rather clear yellow gold without a head; looks like a glass of Riesling with no head or carbonation to give away that this is a beer rather than a wine

Smell: The sweet Riesling tone comes through with just a hint of white wine vinegar; oaky, with apple, pear and apricot aromatics and a mineral aspect

Taste: Much like the aroma, the Riesling flavor dominates with apple, pear and apricot with a touch of oak and a dry finish; a hint of Lambic tartness in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium body with no carbonation

Overall: Comparing prior reviews to my experience I find this vintage (and I don't normally use that word with beer) to be much more vinous that in previous years; I enjoyed it and wonder whether in a blind tasting I would have guessed that it wasn't a glass of a sweeter wine varietal

Pale, apricot yellow color, cloudy; initial fizzy white head that dissipates to nothing in short order. Nice brett funk smell mixes with green apple, musk melon, peach; very mild sourness. Tangy white grapefruit, white wine, green apple flavors. Medium body; mildly prickly on the palate; acidic.

Not a bad beer but I didn't get some of the taste profile the brewery hinted at such as bread. Still, an approachable and tasty enough lambic-styled beer.

Pouring temperature: 47 °F; bottling info: BOTTLED ON 09 21 22
Source: Tavour

after being over the moon on the rouge edition, i was pumped to pick this up, but my overall impression is that its not on the same level, cool beer, weird even, especially for these guys, raw in a sort of natural wine way where a lot more fermentation latitude is not only permissible, but often desirable. i do like the strangeness of it all, but to me it lacks a little of the refinement the red one delivers. pale lemon juice yellow brew with a ton of soda type fizz but not that much head, and after a second or two almost none, but smelling it still prickles my nostrils. the grapes in the nose are both tangy and sweet, at once almost under ripe like pear and green apple at the same time as they are sweet and raisin-like, wild. the funk is there, and although it maybe seems a little younger than the rouge in terms of oak exposure and woodiness, it also has some weirdness that i cant quite place, sweat and sulfur, rotting citrus, wet slate, and some brett that maybe never quite found its stride, or hasnt yet, and the flavor is similer. wheat and pils might might be all on the grain side, this is dry most of the way, save a fruit cocktail sweet pear chunk middle and a little new zealand grape vibrancy bringing this all alive in the middle, perhaps aged hops in here, a little of that funk too. sour, rather acidic, lemony and tart without being incredibly aggressive or showing any of the higher order acids. it sits on the tongue a bit without singeing it. cool grape forward fruitiness, weird ferment, a little less alive in texture than i want it to be, just trace alcohol rising up at temperature too. fun one to sip on, but i think the rouge hits a little harder for me. fun series, i hope they keep it up! grape wild stuff is my muse right now, has been for awhile now...

Bottle into tasters glass
Look: Slightly hazy pale yellow, pouring near zero head dissipating into nothing
Smell: Musty yeast, white grape, oak tannins, lemon
Taste: Moderately tart lemon with yeast and tannins. Followed by strong white grape and alcohol notes. Finish is mellow malt
Feel: Light-medium body, gentle carbonation, smooth finish, dry
Overall: Interesting brew, wine influence definitely there

2022 vintage

pFriem is one of those breweries that I’ve really ramped up on lately all due to Tavour. They are featured quite heavily on there, and I’ve been digging it. The few ratings on this one have me a little weary, but if it’s just punchy then I can get on board wirh that

Pours a murky yellow gold with a finger of white head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

It’s definitely sharp in the nose but I wouldn’t call it overpowering. I’m picking up on aromas of white wine vinegar, sharp oak, apple skin, gooseberry, wet hay, stond, and lime zest

Likewise in taste it definitely a bit acidic, but not really one dimensional or anything. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting tannic white wine, white wine vinegar, dry oak, stone, peach skin, crabapple, wet hay, white pepper, and light lemon zest. The swallow brings notes of tannic white wine, sharp oak, apple skin, wet hay, lime zest, stone, white pepper, and tart apricot

A medium body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a sharp beer. Finishes bone dry and slightly acidic

Yeah it’s definitely sharp and led by a note of vinegar, but there’s enough else going on to keep it interesting

This is the 2020 version according to the label. Brewed with Reisling grapes and barrel aged. Some grapey notes in the aroma, though it's like a whiff of cider vinegar otherwise. After it warms up you can actually taste the white grapes, briefly. Finish is harsh and astringent.

Maybe I'm being simplistic but the domminant smell, taste, and mouthfeel is vinegar. I can't improve on DefenCorps review if you want more perceptive details. From the 375 ml bottle purchased at Elizabeth Station.

Bottle, 2021 release, from Market of Choice.

A clear straw yellow with a thin, white head that falls off rapidly leaving no lacing, this looks solid. The nose is quite vinous and quite lactic. Lots of grape skin, lots of fruit, some mineral, a mild acetone character. Some earth. Mildly floral, some perfume. The palate opens with a pronounced lactic sourness, with very tart yogurt (well, sour, think yogurt that's been left on a kitchen counter on a hot summer day). A potent sour grape juice character is present, fruity, floral, but decidedly acidic, almost tannic and rather malic in nature. Drying, tart, acidic, sharp on the finish, this beer is light in body and crisply carbonated. Earth, some mineral, a little pollen and some honeyare present.

I can see this working well as an accompaniment to a cheese plate, or otherwise shared, but this is a bit too intense otherwise.