Berliner Raspberry - The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery

billab914

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -18%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Churchkey the other night. It definitely wins the brightest red beer I've ever seen award. It really looked like the liquid in a bottle of maraschino cherries. No head at all either. It just looked very strange for a beer.

The aroma mixes the sweet raspberries with a strong tart, very slightly sour flavor. The raspberries seem very fresh and bright, which I appreciate. The flavors just seem to clash for me though, or at the least just don't come together that well.

In the taste the tartness really comes through throughout the beer. The sweeter raspberries come out more towards the finish. Again though, the raspberries feel very fresh and bright but just seem to clash with the tart sourness more than compliment it.

The mouthfeel is thin with moderate carbonation. Overall it was a decent beer, but not a standout in the style. The flavors just didn't seem to compliment each other very well in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

06-15-2012 13:49:30 | More by billab914

mdfb79

New York

3.9/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From 06/0/12 notes. Had on tap at the Churchkey FB event in DC. Very excited for this one after trying their passionfruit and lime berliners.

a - Pours a murky, dark red pink color with one inch of bright white head and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of medicinal notes, raspberries, strawberries, dark fruits, light floral and sulfur notes. Not the best, and not very sour, though not bad.

t - Tastes of tart raspberries, lightly sour strawberries and dark fruits, lightly acedic. Much better than the nose, but still not too sour here.

m - Light body and low to moderate carbonation. Easy to drink.

O - Overall a nice beer, but a bit of a disappointment for me. I really liked their
Passionfruit and Lime Berliners, and think they are much better. Not very sour and the nose was a little bland, but worth checking out and still better than most people's attempts at a berliner.

Serving type: on-tap

06-13-2012 20:26:34 | More by mdfb79

oline73

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this on-tap during the Funky Buddha/Cigar City event at Churchkey DC. Served in a snifter.

Appearance: Pours a bright red color with a half finger of light pink head that goes away completely.

Smell: Raspberry jam deliciousness. Sweet and tart, very light. The smell of this beer reminds me of summer.

Taste: Super tart but still manages to be packed full of raspberries. Light and crisp with some citrus notes. Reminds me of raspberry jam, but not as much as the smell did. The finish is quite tart.

Mouthfeel: The body is on the thin side with tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: This is an extremely good fruit beer. I would have liked the tartness to stick around a bit longer in the finish, but I still enjoyed it very much.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 03:02:52 | More by oline73

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

on tap at devils den

Pours a hazy pink-raspberry color with some really nice bright hues. The head is fluffy and voluminous, as the beer was gushing all night from the kegs. Retains nicely while leaving coats of webbed lacing behind.

Funky and tart in the nose with boatloads of raspberry. Slightly sweet from the fruit, but balanced well by the sourness. Hints of wheat and grass.

Tart and vibrant up front. The raspberry slices through, adding notes of natural sweet and sour. Fruity and faintly sweet, with funky notes of wheat and hay. Finishes tart and citrusy on the tongue.

Lighter body, high carbonation, prickly and refreshing on the tongue. I've had a couple of these and they're all fantastic, although the passion fruit is probably my favorite.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2012 01:05:57 | More by xnicknj

brystmar

New York

3.9/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Monk's during Philly Beer Week.

All of the Funky Buddha brews seemed to gush from the tap lines, and this was no exception. From tap to pitcher behind the bar, then poured into individual pints. Head quickly melted into the fuchsia-colored body.

Aroma is fresh, though subdued, raspberries. The other Berliners were stuffed full of fruit flavor, and this one lacks by comparison.

Taste is similarly mild compared to the others: much less tart & acidic with the raspberries not standing out as far as I'd like. I suppose this lends itself to higher drinkability for some (not me), but this one was a disappointment.

Objectively, this is still a GREAT beer, but it simply does not compare favorably against the other Buddha Berliners.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2012 19:29:08 | More by brystmar

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had: on tap at Monk's, Philly, PA

Nearly all the FB beers that came to Philly were major gushers, it seems. This somewhat disastrous event at Monk's had one or two bartenders frantically trying to pour this and the other overly foamy beers out into pitchers so they could be served to the ravenous onlooking patrons. Even with a front bar spot, it took me quite a while to get a sample.

Pour was a hazy magenta color, which was a good start. The head on the glass serving finally mellowed out enough to form a small pinkish-white ringlet, which then dwindled away to pretty much nothing. This beer was in line with FB's beers that do deliver what they promise, namely, raspberry, and lots of it. Tart raspberry aroma, with a bit of acetic acid. Definitely not your typical Berliner weiss, and I wonder if should even be classified as such. Taste of pretty much full blown raspberries, seeds and all, minor grassy notes, mostly tart, tiny bit of sweetness, a bit acetic. This hits like something between a Berliner, a framboise, and a Flanders sour. As far as mouthfeel, it's about light-medium, and goes down essentially like moderately carbonated raspberry juice. If that's your thing, go for this! Nicely made beer. One dimensional for sure, but you get what you came for.

Serving type: on-tap

06-04-2012 01:42:30 | More by Rifugium

starrdogg

District of Columbia

3.8/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Funky Buddha, poured into a snifter.

Beer pours a gorgeous reddish pink with a thin white head. Smell is heavy on the raspberries, but has a distinct sweetness to it as well. There is also a bit of sour/funk in there as well. Taste is much more sour than expected, almost like fresh Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, with a lot of raspberry flavor and some significant sweetness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with nice carbonation. After being blown away by the Passionfruit Berliner, I had high hopes for this beer and it didn't quite live up to them. It is a nice sour fruit beer, but didn't have the light refreshing quality I associate with a Berliner.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2012 15:52:59 | More by starrdogg

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.68/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

deep mango in color with a light head of white on top that was quickly fading and left a light ring around the outside of the glass. Aroma is insane, huge lemon and citrus notes, tart as hell, rich fruit, wet straw, hay, horse funk all over this thing. Insane is an understatement, but then you take the first sip and it is over. Wonderful notes of tart fruit, lemons, hints of huge lime notes, tart cherries and almost raspberry notes. Incredibly sour with a huge and almost insurmountable tartness. Light airy body makes it go down like water

Serving type: growler

10-18-2011 01:33:23 | More by mikesgroove

dimenhetfield

Florida

4.55/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On draft for the Funky Buddha 1 year anniversary. This beer stole the show that night. I had tasted previous treatments but this was just incredible. The red ruby color really gives insight to what the aroma and flavor hold. Raspberries all the way, along with a solid sour presence as well. This should be label a sour in my opinion but whatever they call it I’m just glad they made it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2011 14:29:53 | More by dimenhetfield

kfsv034

Florida

4.38/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer presents pinkish red with almost no head

Smells of sour raspberries and funk

Tastes follows the nose. Sour raspberries with some subtle sour apple notes.

Mouthfeel is light with a dry finish that leaves my mouth puckering

Overall this is a very tasty brew. For their first sour style brew this dude is mighty good

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2011 21:28:08 | More by kfsv034