Irmgard
Schneeeule Berlin

 

my fist from this brewery, heady pick from a cool bottle shop by my german beer loving wife! this is pretty unconventional, a very light and very lightly tart wheat brew with ginger, super light but also weirdly bready and yeasty, and not as delicate and refreshing as expected, although it still does have some of that. elements of berliner and also of belgian wit to me overall here, and then factor in the spicy ginger on the finish and the curious inclusion of lemon, orange, and pomegranate peel (never heard of that in beer before i dont think), and this is positively unique. very cloudy, doesnt quite hold the head i was looking for either, sort of dullish and sedimented. the nose and flavor are the same, except the ginger is more prominent in the whole aroma, and its only there in the finish of the beer for me, climaxing on the swallow. i get a slightly generic citrus profile, slight floral and berry from the pomegranate, rose maybe, and then all this yeast, lemony tang, bread dough rawness, minerals, active fermentation, a little bacterial pop, strange almost hefeweizen esters, wit spiciness with the ginger included, and some dense earthy wheat under it, light, but not light for its abv, its heavy for its abv, and even though this has soda type carbonation, it presents to me a touch unrefined, like it could be more dialed in terms of texture, not sloppy per se, but not expert either. a weird offering overall, pleasant enough to drink on, but challenging a little bit too. clever anyway, decidedly half modern half ancient which is cool, wouldnt have really guessed germany as its origin. i wish we got the other flavors they had in the little bottles from these guys when we were there. i will be keen to try more of theirs when i find them again. summery more than wintery, neat!

Pours a cloudy pale yellow with fine, fizzy head.

Smell is tart with notes of lemon, ginger and youghurt, very crisp and clean.

Taste is properly tart, almost sour with a bit of acidity. NOtes of lemon, lime, ginger and youghurt with a hint of salt. Extremely crisp and refreshing with a subtle lemon peel bitterness on the finish.

Mouthfeel is thin to medium with effervescent carbonation.

Overall, a very nice, refreshing traditional Berliner.

Pours a slightly cloudy, pale golden coloration with a tiny, fizzy head that soon disappears. Smells of doughy malt, hints of fruity esters, with notes of apple and apricot, as well as a distinct ginger aroma. Taste follows the nose, with a great balance of doughy malt, estery fruit, with apple and apricot accents, as well as a distinct ginger character and strong underlying lactic, citric acidity, which adds a certain lemony presence as well. Finishes with a strong tartness and some ginger and lime lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a light body and medium carbonation.

This has got to be one of my new favorites from Schneeeule, I have no idea why it took me so long to try this as I love ginger, which is coming through very nicely here, stronger than the jasmin in Yasmin, without feeling overbearing but leaving a little, spicy tickle on the tongue. The ginger also goes really well with the strong lemony sourness here, invoking ginger and lime, while those fruity esters and subtle funk that are typical for Schneeeule get a little lost in this mix though. So while this feels a little less traditional than their beers typically do, with the lemony sourness perhaps being just a tad overdone, it's still a great brew in its own right, if you like ginger and lime, that is.

Not my kind of beer.