Berliner Raspberry - The Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery

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

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

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

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

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

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

drabmuh

Maryland

4/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

One of the most anticipated beers of the night at the Churchkey Funky Buddha event the other night and it was decent. A little cheesy when it warmed up but a pretty good berlinerweiss.

Beer served in a snifter, beer is pink, hazy, white head, small and medium bubbles, decent retention, no lacing, moderate carbonation.

Aroma is mostly raspberries, a little lactic acid, a little acetic, mostly raspberry seeds and fruit, smells pretty sweet. As the beer warmed up it got a little cheese smelling, like an old wet rag too. Smells pretty good though.

Beer is sweet meets tart, I won't call it sour, the lactic creaminess was there but took a backseat to the fruit, basically the fruit was driving the bus and the sour was in the back row of the bus. There was a tart dry finish, but again like hte aroma as the beer warmed it got a little cheese tasting. Drink it cold and you'll be fine. I'd have it again on draft.

Serving type: on-tap

06-19-2012 00:17:13 | More by drabmuh

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

Huhzubendah

District of Columbia

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

On draft at Churchkey in D.C.

The beer is a gorgeous, radiant pink hue. A miniscule head fades entirely within a few moments. Both the aroma and flavor are dominated by raspberries and pie crust. Add a touch of brettanomyces and that about sums it up. Big pucker factor in the finish. Aggressively tart. Overall, this was enjoyable but not on the same level as the superb Passion Fruit Berliner.

Serving type: on-tap

06-29-2012 21:47:27 | More by Huhzubendah

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

ColForbinBC

New Jersey

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

On-tap, served in a pint

Pours a bright red, like a candy apple red, with a faint pink cap that rose and fell quickly. Only some bubbles around the edges remained. It looks like fruit juice.

The nose is of sweet raspberries, powdered sugar, and lactic acid. The raspberries are a little overpowering, dominating the funk and wheat aromas typical in a Berliner.

Sweet, clean raspberries, sugary, with a good amount of lactic acid. The raspberries are fresh and sweet, with a sugary finish. There is some tartness that comes out mid-palate before finishing sugary and dry.

Light, clean, and refreshing. Moderate carbonation. Sugary, fruity finish, slightly dry.

A nice Berliner, different than most fruit infused Berliners as the raspberries tend to dominate the brew and lend a sugary sweetness that masks the generally tart nature of a Berliner. All in all, this is a very good beer that I would seek out again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2012 15:10:13 | More by ColForbinBC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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