Spritzer Weisse
Untitled Art

Poured from a can into a chalice glass
Appearance- The beer pours a hazy yellow-orange color with a one finger head of fizzy foam. The head fades very fast leaving but a trace of lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is of sour green apples and vinegar mixed with a funk and grassy smell. Along with these aromas comes a little bit of orange and a touch of hay.
Taste – The taste begins with a sour lemon and apple cider vinegar flavor that has a moderate showing of a cracker malt backbone. The sour lemon taste is the most pronounced and grows even more potent as the taste moves forward. All the while the funk and hay that were detected in the nose creep their way into the taste. A touch of grass and herb come at the very end and leave one with a rather sour and somewhat musty taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is light and crisp with a carbonation level that is rather high. For the style the feel is very nice and complements the sour and funk all while making it a easy sipper.
Overall – A pretty decent weisse overall. It has a good sour lemon hit and a decent funk to go along with it. Well worth a try.

 

Pale pastel yellow gold, hazy with two fingers of foam fading to a thin ring and broken skim after a few minutes. Spotty lace on one side.

Aroma is dull and muted, faint lemon and wheat.
Lightly tart lemon, lemon pound cake, with a dry finish.
Soft supple feel, ample carb but finely textured.

Overall it’s an ok standard issue Berliner, not really worth the premium price. Can’t say it’s Untitled Art or J. Wakefield’s finer work either, but it’s drinkable at least.

The two most prominent wheat beers of the day are largely the German styles of Hefeweizen and Berlinerweiss. Separated by sourness and the mechanisms that cause it, the styles never converge. ...until now. J. Wakefield's involvement with Untitled Art give us a glimpse into what maybe should be commonplace all along.

Pouring a pale and hazy straw, Spritzer Weisse greets the nose with hints of the classic Bavarian character of banana and clove, albeit with a sour, yogurt-like twang. Cider, citrus and white wine tease the olfactory senses while a gentle sweetness of sourdough, taffy and pastry dough leave tracks of cereal on the early palate.

As the middle palate opens up, its the more sour character of the Northern German trends that play a part in the taste. Green apple, lemon curd, key lime and an overall green berry character shifts the focus from a bready sweetness and into a cidery, winey tone with another tease of clove, white pepper and vanilla that offer a soothing balance in the beer's final frame. A light and minty hop note aids in balance much like lemongrass, eucalyptus and green tea.

Medium bodied and trending dry, the beer holds onto the malty structures of whole wheat for a creamy texture and a bready base taste that never completely reduces. Its unusual to taste this level of lactic sourness with hefeweizen attributes, but these flavors seem to meld together quite nicely. A medium short aftertaste of clove and sourness extends slightly past other flavors for a clean and refreshing spritzer-like session to beat the heat of late summer.

 

 

Can from Bridge Liquors in Newport.

A hazy orange with a white head that falls off rapidly leaving no lacing, this looks solid. The nose is a blend of grainy, raw wheat and a potent lactic ad yogurt like sourness. A touch of honey to go with the bread notes. A little sulfur as well. The palate opens with a frothy, buttermilk like tartness and creamy wheat note. There is also a juicy sweetness of sour oranges, a little lemon, semiripe grapes and peaches. The sweetness is distracting and takes away from the bright, rustic and raw flavor of the grain. Medium light in body, lactic and yogurty on the finish and crisply carbonated, this is quite nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lemon yellow hazy body, topped by a sizeable snow white head. Retention is solid.

Classic Berliner Weisse nose: lemon, wheat, honey, milky funk, hay. This checks all the boxes.

Very tart up front, yielding quickly to a balanced dance between malt, sourness, and milk. The high ABV (for the style) lends itself to the body, which still comes across fairly watery and crushable, but with more sweetness and depth.

 

 

16 ounce can - $4.99 at Sprayberry Bottle Shop in Marietta, Georgia.

04/02/19.

Appearance: A moderately cloudy, hay-hued body with a medium-sized, thinning, white head.

Smell: A fated nasal flush of lacto, sourdough crust, crackery and citrusy with watermelon rinds, stone fruits and just-poured Albariño.

Taste: The twang of wheat malt, with some crackery, doughy, bready tones and even some crunchy grain. Then, it turns soundly tangy with some citrusy qualities, a lactic bent and some watermelon, orchard apple and peach juices. Occasionally, a hint of coarse sea salt. Finishes a bit vinous, cidery, but also crisp and never really exposing its alcohol content.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body. Moderate carbonation.

Overall: Good. Pleasingly tasty and interesting while also being fairly refreshing. It's a nice change of pace to reach for the sixteen (or even twelve) ounce can and not shudder at the amount remaining to fight and slog and labor through, instead finding it appreciatively yet surprisingly empty.