Yasmin
Schneeeule Berlin

just my second beer from these guys, and i fear could be also my last, as i believe they are now closed for good, which is tragic, really good stuff right here, i feel like i missed out on a lot, maybe the opportunity to try more will still come, after all, i did have this on tap, so there is obviously still some around. this is a nice low alcohol berliner with jasmine flowers, which is so cool. even that on paper sounds amazing, but they take it further, this to me smells and tastes like a mixed fermentation beer, not just a kettle sour like a typical berliner, i believe there is some brett here too, and its really complex on the ferment overall, way more than just clean lactic pucker, so this is already very evolved and unique even before the jasmine addition, which sets it off, stoked to have found this on tap, wow. looks pretty fizzy but with just a short white head on a rather pale lightly hazy base, not thin looking or anything even at this very low abv. citrusy tartness with with highly fragrant jasmine and nice wheat malt actually on first whiff, neat that the wheat can rise up to meet these potent elements, lemon zest and pith, botanical freshness but also nice yeasty maturity, some cool farmy funk here, juicy but dry, white wine character, wet stone type mineral profile, mouthwatering. i like that it has a little body, i mean its still delicate and easy, spritzy feeling too, not too tart, but the wheat fluffs it up a bit and i like that in a sour like this. the jasmine isnt quite as forward as it is in the nose, but it is indelible here, a lovely addition, even adds some neat herbal bitterness to the back end, its quick like that, dry too. the funk is amazing, i like everything about this, but the ferment really makes it for me, so much more complex than a traditional berliner but also still drinks like a berliner, i just adore this aspect of it. piquant and refreshing, nice food beer, wildly interesting and unique in this style space, loved it.

Pours a clear pale yellow with tall foam in the Belle-Vue Gueuze glass. Smell is not exactly vinegary, but full of acidity. Mouthfeel is inseparable from the intensity of the sourness. It's kind of a clean, flavorless pure acid, maybe some lemon or faint straw, but I don't taste the alleged jasminblüten, but the label helpfully lists the bacteria (lactobacillus, etc.) involved. If it were decent pickle juice I'd be happy to sip a shot, but this seems like enduring distaste for the sake of a historical experience. So I score it “average” for authenticity. From the little stubby brown bottle.

Poured from 330mL bottle into a dimpled mug. The best-by date is pretty far past — 3/15/24 — but for a beer of this style I doubt it’s much of a problem.

Appearance: pale straw hue with a bit of haze and a very strong effervescence. Head is a thick finger of fizzy white foam.

Smell: grainy and quite tart, as the style should be, with a very light floral note underneath. I don’t think I would have guessed jasmine just from the aroma, though.

Taste: wow, even tarter than the smell! Boy howdy, that’s bright. I do like the jasmine lying underneath, but man, I think it’s even TOO tart for the style. Still pretty good, but dang!

Mouthfeel: light body with a moderately big carbonation and an okay creaminess.

Overall: this beer is decent enough, but I think I’d like a little less tartness or a little more sweetness or something.

Look: It pours straw with a white head. Head retention is very good.

Smell: It has a moderately sour lemon aroma with some dough in support. There is a light floral element with some light leather notes.

Taste: It is very sour in the flavor with lemon flavors with very light flour elements. There are hints of earth and leather.

Feel: It has a light body with a very sour finish.

Overall, the sour is high on the pucker factor with plenty of lemon and dough flavors, but everything else is overpowered by those flavors.

Pours a slightly cloudy, golden amber coloration with a tiny, fizzy head that soon disappears. Smells of light doughy malt and estery hints of green apple and gooseberry, as well as just a hint of jasmin and funk. Taste is a great balance of light doughy malt, estery fruit notes of green apple and gooseberry, hints of cheesy funk and some very subtle, floral jasmin accents, as well as a great underlying lactic, citric acidity. Finishes with a medium tartness and some fruity esters, funk and subtle jasmin lingering in the afteratste. Smooth mouthfeel with a light body and medium carbonation.

A very nice traditional Berliner Weisse, which is a rare find nowadays in a sea of fruited "Berliner Weisse", with the brett clearly showing through here with some subtle, funky accents. The jasmin is even more subtle though, perhaps a bit too subtle, actually, being barely detectable, but still adding just a little something to the beer. Maybe that's what they are going for and I can understand wanting to keep it subtle, but I would have wished for it to come through just a tad more. In any case, this makes for a very well-balanced and refreshing example of the style that stays true to its traditional roots.

 

 

Pours a hazy amber color with a giant, froth, white head.

Has a herbal tartness to it, topped off by hints of lime peel and a light note of funky mushrooms.

Has a surprisingly mellow mouthfeel with a very light effervescence and a light, refreshing tartness.

Tastes of a mineralic quality, light lemon pulp, very faint herbs and a bit of dough. Has a smooth, silk middle part with an aqueous softness, making this easy drinking, yet almost a little dull. Finishes with more lemon, which turns a little more fruity in an exotic way and a stronger pronounced lemon presence.

Very light and easy drinking beer, almost a little thin during the finish.

L:
-pours a cloudy golden-orange with a medium to big, quickly dissipating,foamy,white head
-medium to high carbonation visible
-visible yeast chunk floaties
S:
-old leather,peaches,apricots,hay,green apple,barnyard,cooked potatoes,grainy,wheat,clove
T:
-green apple, wheat, hay,apricot,clove,doughy,slightly metallic
-low to medium sourness for the style
F:
-medium to high carbonation
-light,watery body
O:
While not a traditional Berliner Weisse, this is a decent Beer for the hotter days with some slight off notes.
I don't know how Jasmine Blossome smells/tastes like, so i don't know how prominent it was here.

A: The beer is very hazy pale yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high bright white head that settled down but consistently left a short head covering the surface.
S: Light aromas of sour citrus are present in the nose—lemons and oranges seem to stand out in particular—along with faint hints of yeast.
T: The taste follows the smell, but has a bit stronger sour flavors of lemons and oranges but no traces of yeast.
M: It feels light-bodied and somewhat tart on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is very easy to drink and has a good amount of flavors for something that is only 3.0% abv.

Serving type: bottle