Herbert Rhabarber Weisse
Onkel GmbH
- From:
- Onkel GmbH
- Germany
- Style:
- Berliner Weisse
- ABV:
- 4.4%
- Score:
- +6 ratings needed
- Avg:
- 3.77 | pDev: 5.84%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Nov 24, 2016
- Added:
- Jul 06, 2015
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 0
NO SCORE
-
-
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Reviewed by Ciocanelu from Romania
4.15/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.15/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Hazy yellow color with white head. Aroma is mostly lemony and grainy but it also has a nice lambic style funk note. Taste starts tart, lemony, slightly acidic, a touch of aspirin and finishes quite dry. Medium body with quite smooth mouthfeel. Overall it's a really nice berliner. I wouldn't have said it has anything extra added but rhubarb isn't so flavorful that it would pop too much. But overall it's a really good.
Oct 20, 2016
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Texas
3.59/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.59/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Onkel "Herbert Rhabarber Weisse." 4.40% ABV. Best before (on the cap): 04/08/16. Brewed with 3% rhubarb puree.
BOTTLE: 330ml format - sort of that Belgian snub top design. Silver unbranded pry-off crown cap. Understated black and pink label.
Served cold into a pilsner glass in Berlin, Germany. Reviewed live as a Berliner weissbier per the label and website.
HEAD: ~7-8cm wide. White colour. Average consistency. Bubbly. Audibly fizzy. Leaves messy inconsistent lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Retention is above average - ~3 minutes.
BODY: Hazy dull yellow. Translucent, nontransparent. No yeast floats within.
Appears well-carbonated. It's a pretty conventional Berliner weisse appearance. Could certainly be more vibrant and lively.
AROMA: Faint lactobacillus supplies a mild sourness (~2/10 in terms of intensity judging by the aroma). Wheat. Some citrusy twang. Rhubarb puree when I look for it, sure - but I doubt I'd recognise it blind. Bacterial intangibles.
It's an appealing aroma of above average strength. I hoped the rhubarb would be more pungent. Sourness seems low. Still, it's pleasant and inviting, and I detect neither off-notes nor booze.
TASTE & TEXTURE: It's got a nice lactobacillus bacterial presence, but sourness is indeed underwhelming - coming in at a ~2/10 intensity. The soft wheat backbone is an ideal backdrop for the bacteria to work its magic, but it never does - at least lot to the extent needed in this style. Rhubarb fruit puree is present and helps with the softness of the mouthfeel. Maybe actual rhubarb would be a better choice.
In any case, the yeast & bacteria don't seem to have eaten the rhubarb sugars. The flavour profile could take more alcohol without showing it...I could see this going up to 5% without issue, and the lessened sweetness would help put the focus back on the bacteria.
Hop profile is minimal to style, but floral in character - a choice that complements the wheat neatly.
It's certainly balanced, though drinkers familiar with great American expressions of the style will find this tame, if not reticent - though it's got more than adequate depth of flavour. Flavour duration is stellar, and flavour intensity is high but appropriate. The rhubarb, subtle though it may be, lends this Berliner weisse some interesting nuance, and - dareisay - renders it somewhat unique.
Mouthfeel is nicely soft, with a refreshing twangy touch to it. Smooth, wet, somewhat lemony (citric) and appropriately acidic, but medium-bodied. A lighter body would make the twang sing (if you will). Carbonation is a bit high to boot.
There's a nice harmony of texture and taste here, with the citrusy twang playing nicely to the bacterial character. Still higher acidity and more of a smacky sourness would help bring this to the next level.
OVERALL: It's great to see more German breweries commit to versions of the style that don't involve pesky woodruff or raspberry syrup, and of course to see the style propagated outside its eponymous Berlin. While the softness of the mouthfeel and the subtle rhubarb flavour help set this apart, the bacterial complexity and concomitant sourness just isn't/aren't there yet. Highly drinkable, but there's room for improvement.
With work, this could easily be a world class expression of the style. As-is, it's merely delicious.
B (3.59) / GOOD
Feb 18, 2016BOTTLE: 330ml format - sort of that Belgian snub top design. Silver unbranded pry-off crown cap. Understated black and pink label.
Served cold into a pilsner glass in Berlin, Germany. Reviewed live as a Berliner weissbier per the label and website.
HEAD: ~7-8cm wide. White colour. Average consistency. Bubbly. Audibly fizzy. Leaves messy inconsistent lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Retention is above average - ~3 minutes.
BODY: Hazy dull yellow. Translucent, nontransparent. No yeast floats within.
Appears well-carbonated. It's a pretty conventional Berliner weisse appearance. Could certainly be more vibrant and lively.
AROMA: Faint lactobacillus supplies a mild sourness (~2/10 in terms of intensity judging by the aroma). Wheat. Some citrusy twang. Rhubarb puree when I look for it, sure - but I doubt I'd recognise it blind. Bacterial intangibles.
It's an appealing aroma of above average strength. I hoped the rhubarb would be more pungent. Sourness seems low. Still, it's pleasant and inviting, and I detect neither off-notes nor booze.
TASTE & TEXTURE: It's got a nice lactobacillus bacterial presence, but sourness is indeed underwhelming - coming in at a ~2/10 intensity. The soft wheat backbone is an ideal backdrop for the bacteria to work its magic, but it never does - at least lot to the extent needed in this style. Rhubarb fruit puree is present and helps with the softness of the mouthfeel. Maybe actual rhubarb would be a better choice.
In any case, the yeast & bacteria don't seem to have eaten the rhubarb sugars. The flavour profile could take more alcohol without showing it...I could see this going up to 5% without issue, and the lessened sweetness would help put the focus back on the bacteria.
Hop profile is minimal to style, but floral in character - a choice that complements the wheat neatly.
It's certainly balanced, though drinkers familiar with great American expressions of the style will find this tame, if not reticent - though it's got more than adequate depth of flavour. Flavour duration is stellar, and flavour intensity is high but appropriate. The rhubarb, subtle though it may be, lends this Berliner weisse some interesting nuance, and - dareisay - renders it somewhat unique.
Mouthfeel is nicely soft, with a refreshing twangy touch to it. Smooth, wet, somewhat lemony (citric) and appropriately acidic, but medium-bodied. A lighter body would make the twang sing (if you will). Carbonation is a bit high to boot.
There's a nice harmony of texture and taste here, with the citrusy twang playing nicely to the bacterial character. Still higher acidity and more of a smacky sourness would help bring this to the next level.
OVERALL: It's great to see more German breweries commit to versions of the style that don't involve pesky woodruff or raspberry syrup, and of course to see the style propagated outside its eponymous Berlin. While the softness of the mouthfeel and the subtle rhubarb flavour help set this apart, the bacterial complexity and concomitant sourness just isn't/aren't there yet. Highly drinkable, but there's room for improvement.
With work, this could easily be a world class expression of the style. As-is, it's merely delicious.
B (3.59) / GOOD
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