it seems as though Minnesota seems to have a vast array berliner weissstyle beers available this summer. I just thought I would start a thread for us sour lovers to discuss our thoughts and opinions of the locally available berliners...
I wanted to wait till I tried the Schell bw before I really broke down thoughts, and included new glarus as close enough. But I think excluding the German imports, I've had wolf, new glarus, hottenroth, and schell's and haven't had acerbity in a couple months
I wanted to revisit this thread after finally trying some of these beers. In no particular order- Schell star of the north- very solid berliner, nice crisp tartness that grows stronger as it warms, extra points for having really sweet packaging and wide availability. Joseph wolf- crisp, clean and uncomplicated. Seems appropriately Germanishly straightforward, IMO this one is the best candidate for experimenting with syrups. Extra points for a unique entrance to the market, I'm not sure if schells hurts or helps this release. Pour decisions-Acerbity is good, verity it great. New Glarus- seems that this one has become the benchmark. I really enjoyed this beer but the first bottle left me feeling that the grapes came through a little stronger than I thought appropriate for the style, but the second bottle didn't seem so much that way, either way it's a good beer. This is just how I felt about thebeers while I drank them at different times and in different frames of mind.
I think Schell's really hit a home run with theirs. I was a little worried when I popped it open, but was delightfully surprised when I found how crisp and balanced it was.
