Historicale
Agrarian Ales

Not well versed in the Lichtenhainer ways, I assume to rate this as a Berliner-esque style beer. Being smoked adds an extra level of difficulty, so I'll rate this purely on previous experiences and personal taste.

It's a fun beverage, looks wise. Looks the part of that of a traditional Berliner Weisse. A beautiful golgen yellow hue pushing towards amber, and not entirely clear. A fizzy and small white head quickly disappears, but a soda like carbonation keeps it lively. No retention, no lacing.

The initial aroma is very tart, or acidic I should say. Really quite hard to detect anything else, but as it warms, a touch of the advertised smoke does appear with a medicinal aroma. Very subtle, and no where near the smoked ham or camp fire scents affiliated to a Rauchbier.

But wow, is it noticeable in the flavor. In a good way too. The tart aromas equate to a white wine/ sour grape flavor, and the smoke is just that ... a little smoke. A light smoke like cherry or alder wood, not intense like oak or hickory. It actually seems to compliment and enhance the fruity flavor. The two dominant flavors share a balanced work load, while a subtle freshly crushed cereal grain, apple, and pear expose themselves at warmer temperatures in the finish.

Tart, or sour is the best way to describe this. Not enamel stripping but a little pucker. The smoke character definitely balances or rounds this out quite nicely. Light in body with an initial spritzy carbonation that also smooths with time.

This is truly a unique experience. It definitely grew on me with each sip. It's unlike anything I've had, yet combines familiar concepts very well. Overall, I'd have to say I really enjoyed this. Perhaps in a smaller multi packs format, this would be a revisit for sure. Cheers.