Hottenroth Berliner Weisse - The Bruery

Willibomb

South Carolina

4.78/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Love this beer!!

Very unique tart and sour finish, while still maintaining the beer notes that I would expect. This beer has a hazy yellow color with a very thin white head. If you smell it, you can't tell immediately what lies ahead for it has a very grainy and refreshing hop scent.

The drinkability and taste is where this beer really shines. I could drink this beer all day and never feel heavy or due for sugar shock, it ranks right up there with the light beers in refreshingness, and back with the dark beers in satisfaction and depth.

Simply a must try!

Serving type: growler

05-03-2010 22:05:45 | More by Willibomb

Avagadro

New Jersey

4.7/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A: Hottenroth is exceptionally lively, with torrents of tiny bubbles rising from the etching at the bottom of my Stella glass. The body is ever so slightly hazed, and the palest shade of amber one can imagine. Head forms in a frenzy, but quickly fades to nothing.

S: Bouquet is a bit shy, giving only the slightest hint of lemons.

T: Bone dry and exceptionally tart, this brew is both refreshing and delicious. Granny smith apples and lemonade meld together to form an deliciously tart treat.

M: Light, clean, and incredibly effervescent.

D: An outstanding example of one of the most fascinating styles of brew. I highly recommend this to any fan of sour brews, as it is quite delicious.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 04:22:50 | More by Avagadro

hopsbreath

Oregon

4.68/5  rDev +15%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Crystal clear pale yellow on the pour with a quickly dissipating paper white champagne like head. It dissipates to zilch, nothing, zero cap. No lacing is evident whatsoever. All of that fits the style guidlines perfectly. 5/5

Green apples, pinot, putrid wheaties, and tart citrus dominate the nose. This smells great! 4.5/5

Wonderfully sour taste has a hint of bleu cheese and tons of crisp rolled wheat comes across the soft palate on the finish. Its not super complex but it is so wonderfully good at what it does its worth the price of admission. 4.5/5

Thin, brisk, highly carbonated, and refreshing. Primo. 5/5

Do beers get any easier to drink than this? I think not! Another top score it is! 5/5

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2010 01:41:14 | More by hopsbreath

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.6/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Here we go again. Much, much thanks to the wonderful BA that sent me this bottle as an extra of all things! Enormous generosity here and much thanks. This one was busted out with dinner on Labor Day. Served chilled and poured into an oversized wine glass, it was consumed on 09/07/2009.



The pour was magnificent. Rich and very bright golden yellow coming through wonderfully here. Huge head of white towers over the top of it and only barely settles down leaving tons of white lacing up and down the sides of the glass and a rich looking amount of carbonation on the insides of the glass. Huge tart aroma here. Sour just dripping off of it, running into a wonderful light wheat and grass like base. Very bright, you could pick up from across the room with ease. Even warming brought out some light bready notes but hints of lemon and tart apples still predominate. So I take a sip and I am floored. I am not really sure what this style is supposed to be, but wow. Light, crisp, clean, with rich carbonation and a smooth, rich feel that is second it none. Light grain and grassy notes, hints of sour and tart fruits are all blending together nearly flawlessly. Long and very dry finish only serves to further nail down the point that this was as solid as it gets. I really could have drank half a dozen of these, they were just that good. It was unreal how smooth and refreshing it was..



Overall, wow, just wow. I was not sure what to make of this offering, but if this is a year round thing, I am really, really impressed. One of the light, most easy to drink things I have run across in a very long time. Go get this one, go get this one now.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2009 22:59:18 | More by mikesgroove

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

4.6/5  rDev +13%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - Crystal clear pale yellow with a thin white head that settles to a few patches of foam floating on top.

S - Fruity with apple, lemon and pears. Earthy and tart with a sweet breadyness.

T - Fairly tart with lemon, apple and a hint of citrus. Earthy with more green apple and a bit of wheat breadyness.

M - Light and bubbly with lingering tartness.

D - This is damn tasty and would make a great summer quencher and nice lawn mower beer. Would have never guessed it was 3.1%.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2010 22:48:28 | More by brewcrew76

rootbeerman

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: pours clear straw yellow, with a initially two finger head which settled to a thin white layer.
S: a sharp/tart wheat, kristalweizen like banana and bubble gum.
T: tart, but not overly. Wheat and tartness lends to a light lemon flavor. Very crisp and refreshing
M: very crisp, light on the palate with prickly carbonation.
O: between Berliner Weiss and Gose two hard to find styles in, mainly by different brewers yet are my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 07:11:03 | More by rootbeerman

BrotherDylan

California

4.56/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Fantastically dry and painfully delicious. It invites sip after sip with a mouth stripping sour dryness. So tart, so delicious. Its better than candy ever could be. Its a sadomasochistic dream of a beer. Drink the 750ml to yourself but its better shared with friends. After all, how much fun is sadomasochism by yourself?

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 05:20:41 | More by BrotherDylan

jsanford

Georgia

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into a Bruery Tulip. I think this bottle has at least a year of age on it.

A - Pours a clear glowing gold with a thin white head that dissipates quickly, leaving just a slight stream of bubbles. Berliner Weiss is a weird animal.
S - Deliciously crisp aromas of green apples, lemon juice, wheat, earthy Brett, and tangy, funky Lacto. Amazing.
T - Pretty similar to the nose, lots of green apple, lemon juice, wheat and funky barnyard flavors. Not as puckeringly-sour as a fresh bottle, the Brett got a nice little foothold in this. Wonderfully complex, especially for a 3% ABV beer.
M - Light bodied with lively carbonation. Crisp and dry, very reminiscent of a dry white wine.
D - Very tart and refreshing, perfect on a hot day. I threw back a couple of these one day while painting my kitchen, definitely helped make it bearable. This is a really nice example of a fairly uncommon beer style that I love to introduce non-beer drinkers to.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 16:51:42 | More by jsanford

drink1121

California

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I think I had this beer in my proper cellar for about 10 months or so.

A- lemon-straw yellow with a quickly dissipating white head.

S- lemon citus and wheat. The wheat goes from pure wheat to sort of a bready wheat the longer you smell.

T- sour/tart lemon, wheat. And very very faint hops

M- on watery side but I would expect that from a 3% beer

D- I think I am going to down the entire 750 by myself. This is one fantastic brew and will get it again for sure

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2011 22:44:48 | More by drink1121

Hoptometrist

Oregon

4.55/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Served from the bottle into an oversized wine glass

A- Pours a pale yellow with a one and a half finger head. The head had tiny and medium sized bubbles popping all around the glass. Head dissipated rapidly as expected.

S- Strong aroma of lemon, pepper, white wine, wheat, and a little funky hay.

T- Wow that is sour. I have never had a beer this sour, I am pretty new to sours though. Huge sour lemon notes, big wheat bill, pepper, and white wine characteristics. There is a mild hay taste too, the hay funk is kind of an acquired taste I imagine, but that was the only drawback in the taste for me.

M- Very dry beer, drinks almost like champagne, highly acidic, lots of carbonation

O- This is a very tart and sour beer, mouth puckering sour and delicious. I really enjoyed this and look forward to trying more sours. I can see me getting beer quite a few more times. The dryness, acidity, and some of the taste remind me very much of white wine.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 00:57:53 | More by Hoptometrist

womencantsail

California

4.53/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Hazy pale yellow in color with about one finger of foam that dissipates quickly.

S: Tart lemon, grapes, wheat, and maybe some sour apples.

T: Very tart initially, more sour apple flavor here than I would have thought from the nose, the lemon is definitely there. Nice cereal type taste from the wheat to give it a bit more depth.

M: Very light on the tongue, both in terms of carbonation and body.

D: A solid beer, my favorite so far from The Bruery. This is pretty much my go to beer from them. Just about every time I go to the tasting room, I leave with my growler filled with this.

Serving type: growler

07-25-2009 01:27:23 | More by womencantsail

vacax

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Growler from the Bruery. This is the second batch of this beer. The last batch had a nice tartness develop over time, but this one is much more sour to begin. This batch is more "on the mark" for the style and I am interested to see how this one changes over time as well.

A: Very light straw and hazy, a lot of light comes through this one. Head is very lively and luscious then settles down to nothing within a couple minutes.

S: Tart with some limited sour fruitiness.

T: Tart and citric flavors cascade on the center of the tongue and intensify before dissolving. Not quite a fruity flavor, but shares some similar acidic notes. As the tart fades after I swallow, some wheat flavors come through.

M: Light body and a good carbonation goes well with tartness. I love how simple this beer is, yet how beautifully these elements come together.

D: Tart and crisp, it a perfectly sessionable sour. I have drank growlers of this beer and had on tap numerous occasions and cannot get enough of the stuff. I wish the berliner weissbier was a more popular style.

I really enjoy this beer. Fantastic to enjoy almost anytime, or try adding some fruit syrups.

Review updated 10/31/09. Drinking this again, also had some more examples of the style since originally posted. This is the best one I have tasted, bumping up the taste score to reflect this.

Serving type: growler

02-09-2009 03:42:08 | More by vacax

weatherdog

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer was split 3 ways from 75cl bottle

It pours a very cloudy very pale straw, one of the lightest colored beers I've seen. A brilliant white head sits above it.

The smell has a ton of lactic sourness. Tart fruit notes like peaches and white grapes are the other dominating aromas. It is really pleasant and so refreshing and tart.

The taste is much like the smell. A huge wave of mouth puckering tart and sourness is the first thing that hit me. Then a ton of white grape and green apple hits me, reminiscent of a Riesling wine that has gone sour.

The body is very light with such a high carbonation which makes this the ultimate summer refreshment. I don't have a huge familiarity with this style but this one hits all the notes for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2010 05:20:23 | More by weatherdog

waltersrj

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2011 vintage from The Bruery.

Pour: Golden, straw colored body with a prickly white carbonation much like a white wine. The bubbles quickly recede and leave themselves along the glass.

Nose: Crisp granny smith apples, straw, slight lemon zest or rhind, wheat, salt, grass and pear.

Taste: Lemon zest, granny smith apples, wheat, salt and straw to begin. Mid palate the taste is more tart lemons and apple and a finish of pear, grass and mineral.

Mouthfeel: Drying like champagne after an initially prickly white wine body. Crisp.

Overall: My first of this style, this is exceptionally like the BA description. A fantastic beer, I'll enjoy this often over this summer. Absolutely fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 06:36:45 | More by waltersrj

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Bottle. Aroma: Lots of funk, white wine (cat piss), lemon. Weird but nice. Appearance: Milky yellow with small head. It’s far from cute but it is so unusual I kinda like it. Taste: Packed with flavors I can’t believe it. Lots of lemon, brett. This is very dry and very tart. I love it. Palate: Dry, thin Overall: This is the more drinkable and refreshing beer I’ve ever had. This 3% berliner weisse couldn’t have been better executed. If it wasn’t for the price tag and availabilty, that’d be my go to summer beer. Best surprise in a long time.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 21:47:19 | More by Luk13

DovaliHops

California

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours a clear, straw, white-wine-like color with a large white head that disappears slowly. Scent is tart lemon with some wheat and grain in the nose. Nice citrus aromas with bright, tart fruit notes. Taste is initially like a very light wheat beer that lacks in all the clove and coriander flavors (which is a good thing) and is replaced by tart lemon and citrus notes. Pleasant yeast flavors make the tart flavors more mellow than they want to be. Finishes with lovely lemon and wheat flavors. Mouthfeel is EXTREMELY light and airy...perfect for this style in beer. Drinkability is EXTREMELY high. Overall, this is an outstanding beer that represents this style to a tee. With such low ABV and such high drinkability, this beer is perfect for session drinking and hot summer days/nights.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 06:14:53 | More by DovaliHops

schoolboy

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Wow. I have had more sour beers, but never a tart I liked as much as this one. It feels like I am drinking a large glass of wine.

The fruity, yeasty taste is barely tempered by any of the usual beer hops or malt tastes. The yeast is the story, and it is wonderful.

The aftertaste is to die for - I hope to burp for a long time! The very low alcohol is nice for a change, the balance is kept, but it could stand more malt and the resultant kick. This is highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 00:06:43 | More by schoolboy

MisterClean

California

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Sac Brew for Bruery night.

A - Pours straw yellow with a 2 fingered white head. Dissipates moderately fast and leaves little lacing.

S - Honey, toffee, brett, with some zinfandel grapes in the background.

T - Honey, toffee, light oak, grapes and brett.

M - Full-bodied, malt dominated and sweet, with a light brett pungency.

D - Great overall. Would seek again.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2009 04:40:59 | More by MisterClean

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

On at Bailey's Taproom, served in a 10 oz. glass. With summer winding down, seemed like a good beer to enjoy on a Monday afternoon.

A: The typical pale golden pour, lightly hazy. Small carbonation rises throughout and at varying speeds; somehow I'm reminded of The Matrix. Nearly a finger of white foam, falling to a clinging ring, leaving no lace.

S: Light honey-sweetened malt, blanketed by tart funk. Musty wet hay, dirty. Yet appealing, somehow...

T: Nice! Could stop the review right there...but I won't. Yes, there's the requisite lemony tartness, but this has more lime and tangy citrus (pink grapefruit?). Beyond the doughy yeast and spiced wheat, there are deeper and more curious spice notes (nutmeg? allspice?). Packed with flavor, why anyone might choose to denigrate this by adding a traditional syrup is beyond me.

M: Vibrant and crisp, one of the most 'refreshing' feels I recall. The effervescence doesn't get overly prickly, nor does the lasting tartness become overly pucker-inducing. Just a beautifully light and clean-finishing treat.

D: Toyed with a lower score, but really wasn't sure why I'd give LESS than a 5; drinkability is just about perfect. Intensely flavorful + terrific feel + minute ABV = 'outstanding' for my tastes. Highly recommended and one I plan to have again ASAP. Like right now...Geoff, can I get another?

Serving type: on-tap

08-25-2009 00:39:25 | More by msubulldog25

HopHead84

California

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've had this on tap many times so now it's time to review the bottles. Consumed on 9/13/2009 and poured into my Moonlight pint glass. The beer is light straw golden with a fizzy white head and decent retention.

The nose is grassy, with a lot of lemon. Actually, the bottle has noticeably changed since I first had it a few weeks back. There's a lot more lemon now than before. Brett imparts a musty and tart quality. Notes of wheat are evident, and there's no alcohol at all.

What a flavorful beer. Excellent tart quality and a nice tart and musty Brett character. There's a decided zing of lemon, as well as notes of ripe apples. There's a wheat quality to the beer. The finish is lemon and tart with a nice lactic sourness. Excellent!

The beer is light bodied with a nice high medium level of carbonation a crisp mouthfeel. This is a hell of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2009 05:39:03 | More by HopHead84

taylorhamrick

South Carolina

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Pours a pale yellow, straw yellow, couldn't be yellower, more yellow than mellow yellow. Very pale, almost colorless, a bit hazy though, but fairly clear, with a nice white head that forms on top. The head dies quickly to nothing, and leaves no lacing from the start. Not bad, but I guess that it actually looks quite average. The smell is nice, though all descriptors I could use would sound kind of disgusting. The first thing you get is burnt garbage, like stale bread, old vegetables, rotting starches (trust me on this, I have roommates that keep potatoes until they rot), with just a bit of tartness underneath it all. This is just right I would say - about the only time that hot garbage could be a good smell. The taste is right on too. Nice and tart, with a good back of pale graininess. Not much sweetness, it doesn't need much, just enough to balance the tartness a bit. So light and refreshing, but so interesting with the sour tastes. This yeast profile is actually a bit familiar to me, it reminds me of wild yeast that I caught in my own house - not overpoweringly sour and tart, no taste a vinegar, just a nice pleasant, slightly chalky tartness. A bit of the garbage comes in with the finish as you swallow the smell down. I'm a fan. The body is thin, of course, what else would you expect at this ABV, which I would say is right on for the style. The tartness fixes it back up. Pretty good, for 3.1. The drinkabiliy is just great. Perfect for a session beer. Light, refreshing, low in ABV, and the taste is just challenging and enjoyable enough that I could drink this a lot. When everyone asks "What beer would you choose if it could only be one for the rest of your life?" (assuming that it wasn't going to be your last by far, I suppose) I could probably be happy with this. So very simple and nice.

Serving type: growler

10-02-2009 00:59:40 | More by taylorhamrick

krisandajt

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This is a beer that I have enjoyed on several occasions with a truly generous BA, mymrnngjckt. It's about time I've sat down and gave this beer its proper review.

Appearance: With an easy pour into my Duvel glass, the first thing I am greeted with is an almost overflowing amount of bone white, bubbly, fluffy head. It's actually interesting to watch, as peaks and crags of the head burst and slowly fade to a thin ring hugging the glass. The beer itself is slightly cloudy, with a soft yellow color.

Smell: The first thing I notice is a subtle tart sourness. Mixed in with that sourness is hints of grass and an almost sour citrusy quality. Not the type of citrusy that can be attributed to hops, but more like lemon zest. I have to admit, however, that what I find most intriguing about the smell is that no one part of it really overpowers another. Each portion of the smell exist in a delicious synergy that, combined, is very enjoyable.

Taste: Taste is clean, crisp, and tart. The grassy tones I picked up in the smell are virtually non-existent, and the sour mingles with the citrusy lemon zest in a tasty dance of awesome. It leaves me with a refreshed feeling, yet is so good I must go back for more.

Mouthfeel: This beer screams light, crisp, and refreshing. The mouthfeel is light, carbonation is very adequate, and it goes down easy with a slight mouth puckering tart. Very enjoyable.

Drinkability: I have to say that this beer is perhaps one of the most drinkable beers I have ever come across. It's light, crisp, has an enjoyable bit of tartness to it, all with a very sessionable 3.1% ABV. I could easily see myself enjoying a couple of bottles of this in an evening. I highly recommend trying this beer if you get the chance.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2010 01:15:43 | More by krisandajt

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Grub does the pour and manages to get a nice shot of protein in the glass, which clouds the pale pastel yellow body slightly. A brief eggshell white head produces a champagne finger of foam and fizzles away to nothing. I don't expect retention or lace from this style, so the appearance is too par. A sniff reveals the expected lemon juice, but also some light funk, which has me excited. Definitely some barnyard, musty leather notes in there, which provide a great contrast with the zingy lemon notes.

The flavour is remarkable clean and refreshing. Lemonade with funk more or less nails it. The tartness is moderate, but not overly puckering, and barnyard adds depth and interest to what could otherwise be a one dimensional drink. Light body is quenching, and spot on for the flavour. It seems a bit weak in the tail, but if I'm looking for a refreshing beer I could knock back in huge amounts I'm not really looking for a heavy flavour in the finish.

Its simple, and easy to drink, which is exactly what I'd look for in a Berliner. Beers like this could easily become a summer standby for me, and its really too bad that more examples aren't brewed.

Huge thanks to viggo for bringing this to the epic Bruery tasting. Perhaps my most anticipated beer, and it wasn't a let-down.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2010 13:20:36 | More by bobsy

Cresant

Kentucky

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured this 750 mL brown bottle into a becker glass. No date. The pale body looked a lot like ginger-ale. The bright white head was spritzy and dissolved quickly.

Smell was spicy, ginger-like. Fresh grass. Lightly herbaceous.

Taste was cheek puckering sour. Yummy lemon (sort of like Alka Seltzer cold medicine - in a good way!). Pretty drying. Salty. This seem like the ultimate summer session beer.

Mouthfeel was light bodied. Crisp, with tiny carbonation. Nice. I think this is my first Berliner Weiss.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2010 13:20:10 | More by Cresant

grub

Ontario (Canada)

4.47/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

sampled april 10/2010 as part of our giant bruery tasting. Viggo and ritzkiss provided the brews, so thanks to eric and eric!

750ml bottle.

pours hazy super pale yellow, almost white, with a small white head. the head drops fairly fast with only a few spots of lace.

aroma is great. lemony. bit of cider vinegar. a bit spicy. light acidity. orange peel.

taste is great. lemony. cider and malt vinegar. white bread and cracker. touch of orange peel. light vinegar and acidity. very light and refreshing.

mouthfeel is great. super light body. medium-low carbonation level.

drinkability is great. light, well balanced, and super drinkable. a great refreshing summer brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2010 21:35:05 | More by grub