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Blackboard Series #3 - Berliner Weisse with Elderflower
Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown
- From:
- Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- Berliner Weisse
- ABV:
- 5.2%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.9 | pDev: 9.74%
- Reviews:
- 45
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Apr 02, 2020
- Added:
- Jun 28, 2016
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 27
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BEERchitect:
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky
4.03/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
4.03/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Bracingly sour and delicately floral, the flavors and aromas that might seem polar in character actually balance eachother without clashing. It turns out that Victory's "Blackboard Series" berlinerweiss is a beer of complexity rather than complication.
Berliner Weiss with Elderflower pours the pale straw and unfiltered hazy character that largely defines wheat beer. With a creamy and squatty froth, the beer's abundant tartness radiates through the nose; stimulating the senses with lemon, lime, honeysuckle, sea air, wine and cork for a musty-tart scent to evoke salava production and jaw tightening. Supple sweetness greets the tongue in a short-lived warhead confectioner's taste.
With a quick dissolve of sweetness and breadiness, the sourness builds and prickles the mouth with utter sourness. Vinously tart with dry chardonnay with flavors of dry cider, vinegar, citrus, crabapples and green berries- the taste is enough to make the face "stick that way". As the sourness drifts, a soft honey biscuit character reveals themselves with a floral, earthy and slightly sweet balance. Low in bitterness, the beer relies on sourness for balance and intrigue as its cleanses the palate with ease.
Light in body, the beer's fully fermented character leaves the texture bright, refreshing and highly effervescent. This champagne-like beer offers a rustic graininess and cereal-like character that's smooth, dry and clean. A quick aftertaste of citrus and sourness exits the palate swiftly and gives the final taste a great sense of drinkability.
Jul 18, 2016Berliner Weiss with Elderflower pours the pale straw and unfiltered hazy character that largely defines wheat beer. With a creamy and squatty froth, the beer's abundant tartness radiates through the nose; stimulating the senses with lemon, lime, honeysuckle, sea air, wine and cork for a musty-tart scent to evoke salava production and jaw tightening. Supple sweetness greets the tongue in a short-lived warhead confectioner's taste.
With a quick dissolve of sweetness and breadiness, the sourness builds and prickles the mouth with utter sourness. Vinously tart with dry chardonnay with flavors of dry cider, vinegar, citrus, crabapples and green berries- the taste is enough to make the face "stick that way". As the sourness drifts, a soft honey biscuit character reveals themselves with a floral, earthy and slightly sweet balance. Low in bitterness, the beer relies on sourness for balance and intrigue as its cleanses the palate with ease.
Light in body, the beer's fully fermented character leaves the texture bright, refreshing and highly effervescent. This champagne-like beer offers a rustic graininess and cereal-like character that's smooth, dry and clean. A quick aftertaste of citrus and sourness exits the palate swiftly and gives the final taste a great sense of drinkability.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
"Enjoy by 11/16/16"; drank 8/7/16 @ the Yarchives.
Semi-opaque dull yellow appearance.
A rough pour yielded a huge, noisy white head; minimal lace.
Tart lemon, wheat, peach & fresh flower notes in the nose.
Thin mouthfeel.
Tart lemon & wheat flavors up front; peach notes on the finish. Pleasantly tart but not over the top; enjoyable & above average.
Feb 19, 2019Semi-opaque dull yellow appearance.
A rough pour yielded a huge, noisy white head; minimal lace.
Tart lemon, wheat, peach & fresh flower notes in the nose.
Thin mouthfeel.
Tart lemon & wheat flavors up front; peach notes on the finish. Pleasantly tart but not over the top; enjoyable & above average.
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont
3.99/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured into a stange, the appearance is a cloudy yellow color with a sustaining finger’s worth of white foamy head. It does eventually dissipate a bit more, but definitely at a nice pace. Mild stringy lacing clings to the glass yet slides into an acceptable messiness. The aroma brings in a nice amount sour-ed wheat, but springy light. Elderflower is quite underneath. Light citrus. The flavor takes in a graceful amount of the sour wheat to some citrus. Super quick sour-ed wheaty mash hits the aftertaste and puckers up nicely in the finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light on the body with a nice sessionable sour smooth feel sliding over my tongue. Carbonation seems to hit appropriately. Overall, as a Berliner Weisse with Victory’s creativity to drop in the elderflower it works for me. I would have it again. Definitely crushable on a hot day!
Jun 06, 2017Reviewed by Ozzylizard from Pennsylvania
3.59/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.59/5 rDev -7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
$ 6.00 (Including tax)/six pack ($ 0.083/oz) at Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA
BB 16 Nov 16 at 42 degrees. Served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – very faint perfume, sour. I had one about a month ago and the flower smell was much stronger – not strong enough to be repulsive but definitely disturbing.
Head small (Maximum one cm, aggressive pour), off white, thin and frothy, average retention leaving a two mm partial ring fed by effervescence and no layer.
Lacing – none.
Body – light yellow, cloudy, effervescent with extremely tiny bubbles.
Flavor – Basically tart. No distinct flavor of malt, hops, or alcohol. No diacetyl.
Palate – light, watery, lively carbonation.
An unremarkable Berliner weisse but one that I would like to have available year-round, if the flowers were left out.
Appearance 3.75, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 3.75, Palate 4, Overall 3.75.
Apr 14, 2017BB 16 Nov 16 at 42 degrees. Served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – very faint perfume, sour. I had one about a month ago and the flower smell was much stronger – not strong enough to be repulsive but definitely disturbing.
Head small (Maximum one cm, aggressive pour), off white, thin and frothy, average retention leaving a two mm partial ring fed by effervescence and no layer.
Lacing – none.
Body – light yellow, cloudy, effervescent with extremely tiny bubbles.
Flavor – Basically tart. No distinct flavor of malt, hops, or alcohol. No diacetyl.
Palate – light, watery, lively carbonation.
An unremarkable Berliner weisse but one that I would like to have available year-round, if the flowers were left out.
Appearance 3.75, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 3.75, Palate 4, Overall 3.75.
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania
3.95/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.95/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
I just keep plugging away on the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody & at times, it begins to feel like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill, only to have it roll back on him at the end of the day. I know, first world, white man problem. Onward!
From the bottle: "Herbal and floral aromas emerge from this tart Wheat Ale as vanilla wood and spice impressions compliment a mildly sweet finish, inviting you to taste Victory (R)! Brewmasters' Approval [undersigned] Bill [&] Ron".
I was going to let loose on the pour when I was suddenly struck with the inspiration to look at this site's "Styles" section. Good thing, since it reads: "... a clear, pale golden straw-colored appearance" & I could not guarantee that such would be the case with a heavy-handed pour. Once decanted, I utilized a vigorous in-glass swirl to raise two-plus fingers of fizzy, bone-white head with modest retention. Color was Pale-Straw (SRM = 1 -2) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a slight funk and if that was lacto, I am getting better at identifying it. It had the sourness of spoiled milk, which I will never forget, having filled a thermos with it as a kid for a trip & promptly forgetting it until the car took on an unforgettable odor. Needless to say, my parents were not overjoyed. In addition to the sour milk smell, it gave off a ReaLemon juice tartness & my lips began to involuntarily pucker. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium. The taste was VERY tart, not really sour, but laden with a vinegar & lemon tartness and my eyes began to water from the intensity. I remained unsure what the elderflower was to impart, but it did not seem to be imparting the impressions mentioned on the label. Finish was tart and dry. It was a nice, refreshing change from some of the recent beers & styles that I have been drinking & reviewing of late, but one was plenty.
Feb 23, 2017From the bottle: "Herbal and floral aromas emerge from this tart Wheat Ale as vanilla wood and spice impressions compliment a mildly sweet finish, inviting you to taste Victory (R)! Brewmasters' Approval [undersigned] Bill [&] Ron".
I was going to let loose on the pour when I was suddenly struck with the inspiration to look at this site's "Styles" section. Good thing, since it reads: "... a clear, pale golden straw-colored appearance" & I could not guarantee that such would be the case with a heavy-handed pour. Once decanted, I utilized a vigorous in-glass swirl to raise two-plus fingers of fizzy, bone-white head with modest retention. Color was Pale-Straw (SRM = 1 -2) with NE-quality clarity. Nose had a slight funk and if that was lacto, I am getting better at identifying it. It had the sourness of spoiled milk, which I will never forget, having filled a thermos with it as a kid for a trip & promptly forgetting it until the car took on an unforgettable odor. Needless to say, my parents were not overjoyed. In addition to the sour milk smell, it gave off a ReaLemon juice tartness & my lips began to involuntarily pucker. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium. The taste was VERY tart, not really sour, but laden with a vinegar & lemon tartness and my eyes began to water from the intensity. I remained unsure what the elderflower was to impart, but it did not seem to be imparting the impressions mentioned on the label. Finish was tart and dry. It was a nice, refreshing change from some of the recent beers & styles that I have been drinking & reviewing of late, but one was plenty.
Reviewed by hoptheology from California
3.66/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.66/5 rDev -6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Very hazy color with a hint of crystal clarity peeking through. The head is large, overflows, and settles to a soapy 2 finger stand-still.
Aromas of lemon, lemongrass, yeast, and pale grain.
Ample sour lemon qualities, sweet tarts, amid quite a few metallic flavors. The metal throws me off a bit, and I don't think it's supposed to be there, so that raises concern with either their production or their storing.
Feel is as it should be, light and carbonated, crisp even.
Overall I'm not sure if this comes in six or four packs, and at what price point - I simply bought a single for $2.49 and hoped for the best. That being said, better Berliners are out there for around that same price or slightly higher; I'd suggest checking those out first.
Feb 20, 2017Aromas of lemon, lemongrass, yeast, and pale grain.
Ample sour lemon qualities, sweet tarts, amid quite a few metallic flavors. The metal throws me off a bit, and I don't think it's supposed to be there, so that raises concern with either their production or their storing.
Feel is as it should be, light and carbonated, crisp even.
Overall I'm not sure if this comes in six or four packs, and at what price point - I simply bought a single for $2.49 and hoped for the best. That being said, better Berliners are out there for around that same price or slightly higher; I'd suggest checking those out first.
Blackboard Series #3 - Berliner Weisse with Elderflower from Victory Brewing Company - Downingtown
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
158 ratings
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