Berliner Weisse - Crabtree Brewing Company

falloutsnow

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle purchased from Beertopia in Omaha, NE.
No bottled on date, but I picked this up as soon as it came out in the summer of 2011.
Poured into a New Belgium globe glass.
Tried with and without yeast poured in; I preferred it without the yeast, which is unusual for me.

Pours a healthy, >2cm head of very fine bubbles, but this collapses fantastically upon itself rather quickly, leaving no lace or spots. Body is a semi-hazy golden yellow color out of light, a pale yellow in it, and the etched New Belgium glass sends a column of active carbonation throughout drinking the entire bottle.

Very nice, tart, lactobacillus-influenced aroma. Think yogurt with a twist of lemon and slightly sweet wheat malt. Other references include white wine and freshly cut green apples (see, acidity).

Delicious taste. Opens with bright tartness meeting very tempered wheat malt sweetness. If just on the front of the tongue, you could mistake this for a mild white wine. Mid-palate detects increasing levels of sourness, with some tart apple flavors. Very mild funk enters, though I don't think any Brettanomyces was used; this becomes a bit more noticeable as the beer warms. Aftertaste is mostly tart, like a strong lemonade or white wine.

Very carbonated at first, though this diminishes as much as you're willing to wait. Body is rather light, slightly watery around the edges, perhaps a bit too carbonated and likely this beer's only real off-point. Mouthfeel is crisp due to the carbonation, and moves along nicely.. Finish is dry, again, referencing white wine.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 02:27:36 | More by falloutsnow

Beaver13

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

22oz bottle. Pours a clear (with hazy second pour) straw yellow with a fizzy white head that quickly diminishes to a thin film and then disappears.

The aroma is musty hay and some dry fruity sourness.

The flavor is wheaty malts with some sweet sugary fruits (apple and lemon), some champagne notes and a lot of tart sourness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with some spritzy carbonation.

Overall, a nice light sour. I liked this better on tap.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2012 05:58:38 | More by Beaver13

pwoods

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Thanks to DividedAvery

22oz. brown bomber poured into a flute.

A: Pours a very pale straw with some haziness. A bit of a fizzy head on the pour without much retention or lacing.

S: Lemony tart aroma with some white wine and green apple notes. A light musky, funky aroma with some dry leathery notes. Very subtle cereal grain.

T/M: More of the tart lemon and green apple with some more of the white wine undertones. Great tartness and refreshing dry finish. More of the muskiness and leather. Body is light with vibrant carbonation. Finishes nearly bone dry.

D: Pretty damn good Berliner Weisse. I hadn't heard of this brewery and wasn't sure what to expect with a style like this, but they've made a pretty solid beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 06:08:45 | More by pwoods

riored4v

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Reviewed on 9/20/11.

Poured in to a tulip. Straw colored body that was slightly hazy. 1 finger, white head. Faded to nothing real quick.

Smell was grainy with notes of lemon with some acidic tartness. Light green apple as well.

Taste was lemony with some mild acidic tartness. Light grainy flavor. Hints of green apple. Crisp finish with some mild vinegar.

Mouthfeel was light body, medium/high carb. Nice and dry.

Drinkability was good. Nice and light with a mild tartness.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 22:08:19 | More by riored4v

antlerwrestler19

Nebraska

4.08/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy pineapple juice colored with a thin bubbly head that falls quickly leaving behind the infinite miniscule bubbles that rise constantly from the bottom. Smells of tart green apple and green grapes, not too funky but there is a definite sour aspect punching through, grassy and straw-like. The flavor follows the nose pretty closely but is not as pungent - grassy, bready, tart and sour (not overwhelmingly so) lemon, grapes, green apple. This is a light-medium bodied beer - it is moderately carbonated with a pretty dry finish on the end. An impressive beer, but nothing that is causing me to drive to the bottleshop to buy more this instant. If I feel like snagging a delicious tart ale I'd reach for this one as it is pretty refreshing.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2011 01:32:48 | More by antlerwrestler19

BradLikesBrew

Missouri

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very light yellow body and a fizzy white head.

Aromas are funky with notes of citrus.

Lemon, lime, wheat and a carbonic bite like San Pellegrino. Mild funkiness and a soft acidic snap really take this beer to the next level. Well balanced and addictive.

A bomber of Berliner Weisse? Why is that so uncommon, this is an awesome beer and untapped style. Never thought it would be Crabtree that would do it. I gotta give theses guys credit, they've really turned it up a notch recently.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 20:25:21 | More by BradLikesBrew

Domingo

Colorado

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Grabbed this as my wife loves the style.
Pours a lemony yellow color with a fizzy texture.
The nose matches the look – also very lemony and citrusy with a bit of yeasty zest. It’s not quite a brett funkiness, but more of a spice.
The flavor is pretty much perfectly representative of the things I like about the style. Sourness initially, but right when you think it’ll make you pucker, it mellows and there’s even a bit of a malt body that creeps out. Lemon zest pink grapefruit, cider, and just a little bit of a pepper are the primary notes. The finish lingers with a citric tartness.
At such a low potency, with such a ton of flavor, this will be gone before you know it.
One of the best versions I’ve had and a truly enjoyable beer. Not for everyone, but really tasty beer I’ve already bought more of.
A sleeper hit for sure.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 21:55:13 | More by Domingo

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.4/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is loud. A hard pour and the bubbles just make a racket. Fizzy. Soapy head that dissipates rapidly. Somewhat cloudy pale gold body.

Musky aroma. Like a light horse blanket, subtle lemon. There's something different in there that makes the aroma seem "thick". Weird to me, but not off-putting. A bit tangy

Nice tangy lemon flavor. Orange a bit. The tartness is refreshing and nothing too puckering. There are a couple of spices here and there, but mostly a light malt with lemon tart. My 3rd B-Weisse and I like it

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 04:31:03 | More by Mebuzzard

dbossman

Nebraska

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Hazy lemon-yellow with a crazy, fizzy head--this sounds like Alca-seltzer but eventually fades to no head with just tons of bubbles shooting to the surface; no lacing

S: Wow, this is tart and grainy and grassy; this smells like lemons and apples but also like grainy bread; it is sour and a bit funky--can't wait to drink

T: Not as sour as aroma indicated but still a pleasant lemon/apple/banana tartness followed by a grainy, grassy, bready quality; this beer is quite refreshing but it does fade rather quickly leaving a thin, dry finish

F: A tad thin for my taste and the beer nearly vanishes toward the finish but as you drink the thinness becomes less and less bothersome

O: This is a refreshing beer; I wish it had a bit more body and was a bit more sour but it's a nice tart, slightly fruity berliner weisse nonetheless

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 00:51:19 | More by dbossman

ArrogantB

Colorado

4/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bottle with a QR code on the front label, $6. Nice cloudy yellow color. Smells wheaty and possibly tart. The flavor was quite good, wheat, sour lemon (but subtle), citrus, yeast. Very easy to drink and now I'm really interested in the style. Overall, a good tart wheat beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 02:17:27 | More by ArrogantB