Berliner Raspberry - The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery

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

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

TheGordianKnot

Tennessee

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from bomber into DL snifter... Opened at a Nashville tasting

A- Pours a deep, opaque, gorgeous pink color! Has nice head again pink, this time more neon; but it is an interesting sight in a glass.

S- Smells like fresh raspberry seeds and a bit of green pepper. Not super funky or acidic, but very fruity. Intriguing more than anything, because the pepper isnt a vegetal DMS, its a strong phenolic pepper kick! Not a very berliner-like aroma

T/M- Very good beer. Has a smooth fruity taste, dominated by raspberry and blackberries. Acidic and tart, but not fully sour. Just a ton of fresh berries reminiscent of when I was a boy working for my neighbors, picking raspberries... Light body, refreshing and well carbonated to almost have this be like a fruity spritzer.

O- A tad more sour and I'd be blown away. The raspberries were so fresh and natural tasting that I thought I had my daily dose of fruits for a week, all in this glass! Very enjoyable, I want more FB berliners!!

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2012 00:51:15 | More by TheGordianKnot

Florida9

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Holy fucking bright pink! It's a slightly cloudy bright pink, but that just seems to add to the awesome shade of pink that is this beer. Forms a large fizzy head that quickly reduces down to a thick light pink ring around the edge. No lacing. 4.5

S: An aroma that is all raspberry, but not quite just raspberry. The best way I describe it as is raspberry farts: the sweet scent of raspberry mixed with the stink of fermentation. Eh, still seems to work... 4.0

T: Moderate sweetness of fruity raspberries and tart lemonade. Crisp, spry, and mildly acidic. Red ripe berries with just a slight hint of earthy funk, though in all actuality the berries win out. 4.0

M: Tart, crisp, and bright with heavy carbonation. 4.0

O: This one probably could've passed for a slightly fermented raspberry lemonade. Never-the-less, it was certainly a fun, enjoyably crisp, and rather refreshing beer. 4.0

Serving type: bottle

05-07-2012 01:18:30 | More by Florida9

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22 oz bottle into several glasses. Big thanks go to Stakem for sharing this Funky Buddha rarity. I love the bottle for this by the way. Very creative.

Pours a lovely looking coppery amber, with a thin filmy white head that definitely has a pinkish hue to it. This retains with some creamy bunching around the edges of the glass, leaving back a smattering of spotty lacing down the sides. The aroma smells of raspberries but there is sweetness to the nose that is coming off more like syrupy smelling sugars to me. There is some funk and tartness mixed in as well but this is mostly coming off to me a fruity and sweet feeling.

The taste is tart up front, with a crisp berry feel to the flavor. Some earthy funk shores up the middle of this before things finish sour in the backend with a sharp acidic bite. This is definitely more sour feeling than tart, with that dry acidity lingering on the palate for a while. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with sharpness to the carbonation that pops the more souring aspects of this. This body does achieve more of a crisp creaminess as this moves out that does help with things.

I don’t really get the love for this one. I expect a Berliner to be crisp and refreshing feeling. Something that I didn’t get with this. Plus the raspberry flavor had a sweet and artificial feel to it. Almost like they used syrup in this. At any rate, I’m glad to have been able to try it but I’ve had much better efforts from these guys.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 19:59:11 | More by Kegatron

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

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

I am appreciative to stakem for sharing this bomber with me and kegatron. Enjoyed from a tulip.

This is an attractive beer, it grabs the eye if you know what I mean...it is got some hot pink hues of raspberry with shirley temple or cherry spritzer qualities. The clarity is great and the pink head is quick to collapse w/ very tiny bead. The smell is earthy up front, fruity and slightly funky with some almost 'rhubarb-like' notes which I heard stakem comment. There is a light raspberry fruitiness with tart aroma that hints at acidity with an almost lemony nose. The feel is very lactic and slightly sharp but still has a high level of sweet to balance with superhigh carbonation and moderately high puckering astringency w/ strong fruity tanginess and a drying almost astringent sour finish with very gassy quality.

I like the way this starts, but it does have a slight sugary tinge which seems juicy, not added sweetner sweet. There is a light raspberry taste with an almost extract-like flavor with sweet/sour juxtoposition and light candy-like quality which brings out the edge to the lemony lactic flavor with subtle soda-pop quality. The carbonic acid is there with the high carbonation in full effect making the fruit seem sharper and has an almost raspberry lemonade flavor. Overall a bright poppy kind of wheat, spritzy and light on fruit in the taste , but has the refreshing sour wheat quality. A bit high in carbonation which I would tone down personally which takes away from the overall enjoyment - but all-in all a good example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2011 19:45:27 | More by Slatetank

stakem

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber poured into a tulip. Thumbs up go to the Funky Buddha for the bit of comedy on the label here. The brew pours a perfectly clear color of neon pink kool-aid. A finger of lightly pinkish stained head appears and quickly fades. A light swirl revives the effervescent carbonation back to the surface and produces some very faint spots of lace on the glass.

The smell of this brew is somewhat reminiscent of raspberry but it doesn't directly carry a fresh or natural aspect. The berry scent is augmented with something along the lines of strawberry rhubarb jelly. There is a little bit of a veggie aspect also going on in the aroma that brings forth some other funky aspects like poopy diaper and cheese/stinky feet. As the brew warms up, more of a focus goes back to the raspberry scent that to me is a bit seeded and earthy, not juicy and fresh. As the brew warms up beyond ideal temperature, it has an ackward note of something along the lines of cooked cabbage. I'm not exactly sold on all these scents working together but I can appreciate the effort considering the wild nature that Berliners can sometimes take in depending on the souring methods.

The taste is sharply tart, not necessarily sour but it has a bold focus on the tart aspects which is a bit exaggerated compared to other takes on the style. I believe the raspberry flavoring here helps to focus more on the acidity level and that completely hides any base grain character. Just like the aroma led on, there are some veggie aspects to the flavor as well that come across like cabbage. When focusing on the raspberry flavoring, it seems unnatural to me like a syrup addition was used, not real raspberries. I'm not saying that is completely bad or the wrong thing here, just lacking the complexity that I was expecting. It has a minor herbal note at times and some citrus notes almost like citric acid instead of the typical lemony tartness produced from lacto fermentation.

This is a light bodied brew with an effervescent amount of carbonation that is lively and prickly on the tongue. For a 5% berliner, it is pushing the threshold of being "Imperialized" yet the alcohol is fairly well hidden. I collectively have mixed feelings about this beer. On one hand it is unique and enjoyable but on the other hand it displays a bit too much artificial candy flavoring but without the lasting sweetness. Something I look for in a solid Berliner Weisse is it's ease of drinkability and depth of character. I believe a fruit addition should deepen the complexity without overpowering. In this case, the fruit was a bit ackward and just didnt really blend well with the rest of the character. It was not as easy drinking as other takes on the style. It is certainly worth a try if you get the opportunity but not worth the hassle of there only being something like ~20 bottles made.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 15:17:29 | More by stakem

CenCalMario

California

3.93/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

From a 22oz bomber courtesy of PhiChiFiji00 (Chad), thanks!

Appearance was red-light district (from my notes, so hey!), jolly rancher red toned.

Smell is reby red, grapefruit, small bubbles, good carbonation.

Taste is clean, refreshing, not overly complex, zesty, more carbonation feel on the tongue.

Mouthfeel is acidic, light, taste of some raspberries, but more grapefruit notes.

Overall impression of this beer is good. I'm not a huge fan of berlinerweiss beers but this one was pretty good. Slight alcohol, but consistent with style.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 07:20:08 | More by CenCalMario

HopHead84

California

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

10/30/2011

Review #1500. I guess it shall be this beer. Snifter.

A: Pink tinged red with a finger of pinkish white foam. Really great color and perfect clarity.

S: Raspberry and strawberry with notes of raspberry seeds. Sweet with sugary characteristics and a pronounced lactic profile. Moderately sour.

T: Tart and lactic with raspberry seed and flesh. Tastes like raspberry lemonade with a little strawberry. The fruit profile is great. Finishes fruity with a lingering lactic sourness and a mild acidity.

M: Upper light body with high carbonation.

Overall: Really nice. Highly drinkable with great fruit expression. Very good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 03:32:16 | More by HopHead84

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

New review:

The second bottle that I opened was siginficantly different and worse than the first. The first bottle was a beautiful raspberry pink color with the complete aroma and flavor of raspberries.

More recently, the bottle we opened was a much lighter pink color, more cloudy pink with a golden tint to it. The aroma and flavor both perfectly resemble pink lemonade. This is not a terrible flavor, but it simply does not compare to the glorious bottle that was opened a few months prior.

My new score reflects an average of the two bottles I have had. Since there is such big bottle or batch variation, I will leave it this way until I have a few consistent bottles.

Original review (4.5/5/5/5/5) 10-23-2011:

Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into a tulip.

Appearance: This is one of the prettiest colors I have seen in a beer. A raspberry pink color with a sligh haziness and a few yeast particles floating throughout. A white bubbly head froths up originally and then fades to almost nothing.

Smell: The aroma smells like field fresh raspberries, lemon zest, a little bit of grapefruit citrus, and some wild mushrooms as well.

Taste: The flavor is chock full of raspberries. The flavor is mildy sour, which is the perfect raspberry tartness for me. Some pale malt, lemon zest, and grapefruit contribute to the sour flavor, and the finish is only lightly sour.

Mouthfeel: The body feels fairly light but is medium for the style. The carbonation straddles creamy and carbonated very nicely. Tart, crisp, and refreshing.

Overall: This is one of the most fantastic beers I have ever had. I am very grateful to have been able to try it and would definitely pursue more bottles.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2011 00:24:18 | More by KickInTheChalice

DovaliHops

California

4.45/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Chad! Pours a bright red with a hint of orange. Small white head that disappears quickly. Scent is...Holy Shit! Grapefruit up the ying yang. Why is this not a grapefruit Berliner? Anyhow, hints of orange peel, raspberry, and lemon. Slightly acidic. Taste is initially sweet raspberry, immediately followed by intense sour grapefruit. Mouthfeel is light bodied with puckering grapefruit finish. Drinkability is very high. Overall, love this brewery so far. Outstanding beer with intense flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 06:25:26 | More by DovaliHops

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

Sean9689

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks, Jason! Poured into a Narke tulip.

A - Pours ruby red, white head, thin collar, wisps.

S - Raspberries, nice level of tart/sour, fruity sweetness. A really nose the raspberries dominating right up front. Pretty much as-advertised, really nice nose.

T - Raspberries up front, but not fresh...more "fake" extract fruity notes. Light tart/sour notes, some funk, but mostly raspberries. Not quite as good as the nose, I'm afraid.

M - Light body, good carbonation, dry tart finish.

O - A really nice berliner that was refreshing yet still had some nice tart notes. The raspberries weren't quite as nice on the palate as the nose, but still, very enjoyable. Would love to have again.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 17:36:05 | More by Sean9689

phichifiji00

California

4.35/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours bright red, no head, no lacing.

Smell: Grapefruit dominates, subtle raspberry and passionfruit.

Taste: Again, lots of grapefruit, subtle raspberry, funk, sour.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, good carbonation, acidic.

Overall: A delight. The color is amazing. Not as much rasberry smell/taste as I'd hoped, but the grapefruit sour/funk is delicious. I'd love to get some more of this. Possibly misnamed as the rasberry is overwhelmed by the grapefruit. Think alcoholic ruby red grapefruit juice.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 15:52:04 | More by phichifiji00

AgentZero

Illinois

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

Thanks to Jason for the share.

A - A nice looking bright red beer that had a small head that faded to a ring.

S - Great smell, like great real raspberries with a little bit of tartness. Very nice job on this one.

T - Taste is not as good as the nose. Raspberries are toned down, lost some of the realness that it seemed to have, but still relatively tasty.

M - Light bodied, not tons of carbonation.

O - Pretty good beer, not as good as I thought it would be with the nose, but still tasty. Alcohol is well hidden, but surprisingly high, actually would have given this better marks if it were 3ish percent.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 02:22:36 | More by AgentZero

MasterSki

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Jason (and dimenhetfield) for making this one happen. Served in a Glunz taster glass.

A - Quick-dissolving white foam settles to a thin ring, leaving no lace. Hazy bright pink body.

S - Under-ripe raspberries, lemons, slight yogurt, hint of sulfur, touch of sharp wheat, and some acidity. Quite impressive - I just couldn't stop bringing this one to my nose.

T - Unfortunately, the taste isn't quite as amazing. It's still quite enjoyable - tastes mostly like raspberry lemonade but without the complexity and depth of the aroma. I was surprised to see this was 5%. Great fruit character, but could use more sourness.

M - Lower carbonation, light body, very dry, but with minimal pucker or tartness.

D - I liked this quite a bit, and I'd love to have it again. I doubt I'll get a chance unless I go to Florida though. I could drink a ton of this, but lowering the ABV a little and making it a bit more sour would make this world-class.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2011 00:07:23 | More by MasterSki

Urbancaver

Ohio

3.65/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a neon pinkish red. No head at all. Not even if i shake the shit out of it.
Smells funky and odd. Some seediness on the nose. very weird. Norm says he smells celery seed. I'm not sure but I think the funk and raspberries just clash a bit.
Tastes reeeally raspberry heavy. I am really enjoying the taste of the raspberries but the nose is messing with me. Nice solid mouthfeel. Well carbonated, sits well on the tongue. But overall this one is not quite a hit.
An interesting take for sure but needs some work i think

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 19:22:06 | More by Urbancaver

brew3crew

Ohio

3.08/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Jackie o's tasting baby!! Thanks cam

A-fucking red as shit . I said it. Like red koolaid

S-funky raspberry, but not in a good way

T-weird raspberry that I don'tlike. Not a good one

M- medium boey and smooth

O-eh. Pass. Too much wierdness going on...

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 19:05:53 | More by brew3crew