Boysenberry Berliner
Double Nickel Brewing Company

It pours a very nice pink with a light pink head that sticks around. The aroma is typical of the style, with lacto and other tart notes but also with some fruit candy sweetness to it. The taste however is very mild with mostly tart flavors and not much sweetness to offer balance. Light mouthfeel.

Double Nickel Brewing Co. "D•N•A Series No. 1 Berliner-Style Weisse Boysenberry Ale"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle
$2.79 @ Total Wine & More, Cherry Hill, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: Seeing as how I've been thinking of brewing a raspberry/blueberry gose this seems like perfect timing. It pours a cloudy pink/purple body beneath a short head of creamy pink foam. The aroma is lightly "tartish" and fruity. I can't make out the fruitiness. I know it's Boysenberry but it just seems fruity. Maybe I should say berry-like. The flavor is fairly tart. It's not completely puckering but it's on the way there. The fruit remains kind of non-descript. You know it's not raspberry, and probably not elderberry, but maybe... anyway, it's good. It blends perfectly with the tartness and light sweetness. So, I still have a solid creamy surface covering, and there are some nice splashes of lacing left behind as well. I've noticed that it's surprisingly creamy in the mouth, especially for a sour beer. I don't think I've ever experienced a beer quite like it. I'd have to call it light to light-medium in body but it somehow seems bigger because of the mouthfeel. It almost feels like it was carbonated with nitrogen. As for bitterness there's really none, just a touch, but none is needed as the tartness handles that and it finishes dry and acidic with just a kiss of fruitiness remaining. Refreshing, and I should note, very clean. It's clearly well brewed. A perfect beer for summer, or for those who like their beer tart and fruity any time of the year.

 

12oz bottle poured into stemless wine glass

Pretty red/purple/pink hued body with a burst of big bubbled foam that fell to a thin collar. Nose has that shallow kettle sour aroma with some bigger lacto/yogurt notes starting to poke through. Boysenberry is modest. Little bit of sweet fruit up first on the palate before a rush of prickly lacto sourness. Feel is ok for the abv/size of this guy, but the prickly sourness lifts away a little too easily.

This beer is nice. I was happy to see Double Nickel branch out, but I feel they still stayed in their comfort zone with a highly approachable Berliner. Not a bad thing, but I want a little more authenticity here.