Hottenroth Berliner Weisse - The Bruery

rtepiak

Poland

3.8/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

pour is as expected. Yellow. Top of the bottle is clear... Bottom is a bit of cloudiness. Not much. After brewing these i'm come across two different types of berliner... The low FG dry... This dryness working as the backbone of the palate and the thicker wheat core with a sour twist. This is the first. Quite filtered lack of carbonation. Easy drinking. Weak protein formation. Nose of lemon grass and yogart. Zesty. Palate is lacto... Also salty. The perfect bbq beer. When without fruit syrup i can see it cutting sweetness wonderfully. Palate of yogart hints and minimal wheat. Intense tart dryness but not offensive. A quick finish. A bit of lemon pulp and teeth grinding. A novelity of sort but sours are in so it works. In the end a tad heavy for the aby but good to see people are making a style i like. Can't wait to have mine.

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2011 03:40:01 | More by rtepiak

emerge077

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Shared this a few times, first time with a bottle to myself. Summer weather almost demands everyone gets a personal bottle of Berliner Weisse!

Served cold at 45º into a Duvel tulip.

Tight cap of white foam, slides down to a thin broken skim quickly enough. Minimal ring around the edges. Pale pastel canary yellow, almost more the color of white grape juice.

White wine minerality, flinty wet stone, grapes, dusty wheat.

Flavor has a bit of grape sweetness as well, before the wave of dry tart crabapple crispness blasts the palate. Very dry and effervescent, clean and simple. Aftertaste of grain and a hint of clean wild yeast. Very quenching. Easily sipped or gulped, pairs well with food or as an apertif to whet the appetite. If you know someone who likes dry champagne, offer them this. It's no coincidence this is known as the "champagne of the north".

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2011 01:36:39 | More by emerge077

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bought a 750 ml bottle from the Bruery after visiting it last Sunday. Pours a murky, cloudy pale yellow with fizzy head that very quickly fades away within seconds. Smells mostly tart and a little sour. Tastes tart, sour and slightly acidic like. Nice for a Berliner Weisse. Light and somewhat refreshing mouthfeel. Overall, a nice unfiltered version of a somewhat hard to find brew.

Like a previous review, not sure the bottle was quite worth the $8-$10 price tag.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2011 06:44:20 | More by jwhancher

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750mL bottle poured into glass

Pours a pale straw color with a very faint haze. A bubbly white head dissolves quickly, leaving little lacing as the beer grows clearer while drinking.

Wafting scents of tartness with straw and light funk. Green apples with skin, faint wine and wheat tones. Some fruit sweetness, but decent amount of tart.

A dash of tart right on the tongue upon first sip, tempered by softer straw and wheat flavors. Fruits with apple and white grape which have a slightly under-ripe feel to them. Lemon and citrus juice add in. Slight funk and yeast is lurking underneath the brighter flavors, which remain prevalent. Finishes tart with a strong lingering dryness which wears on the tongue.

Lighter body, higher carbonation, tingly and refreshing on the senses. I could probably take down an entire bottle of this without much effort, and I really enjoyed the balance of sweet and tart at the same time. Add in that this is 3.1% and you've got a winner, especially if you like Berliner Weiss.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 23:00:17 | More by xnicknj

Soonami

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

No bottled or best by date on this bottle as far as I can tell.

Bruery Hottenroth is probably the palest beer I've ever had--probably 1 SRM, if that. It's lighter in color than lemonade, and the first pour is almost crystal clear, whereas the second is hazier. The beer foams up with a thick white head that quickly fizzes out. The beer smells a little funky sour, not entirely like an American wild, but like spoiled milk and a little lemony. It also smells a bit doughy. The beer is tart upfront with good round mouthfeel and light carbonation. The finish is very dry and sour. This is not a very complex beer, pretty bland sour with a little lemony bite and a clean aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2011 05:13:09 | More by Soonami

Georgiabeer

Georgia

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

One of the better versions of this somewhat elusive style. For me, most are simply not tart or lactic enough. This one hits the nail on the head. Pours a hazy pale straw color, with an almost greenish cast. Finely beaded pure white head. Smells soft and slightly grainy, with an almost barnyard note as well. Some lactic tartness, particularly at the end. The taste is much more lactic and tart than the aroma would suggest. Nice lemony sourness, almost cutting at first, and then turning more into a lemon peel bitterness with some lemon juiciness hanging in there. A touch of lactic tanginess, not quite creamy, makes a brief appearance. Really nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2011 17:01:31 | More by Georgiabeer

Wadsey

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The Bruery Hottenroth

Served in New Belgium tulip. 

A: Pours clear pale straw with decent head, although retention and lacing are weak. The beer sparkles initially but it loses champagne-like effervescence with subsequent pours. 

S: Toasty, grainy malts and lactic sourness. A bit of funk/must plays at edge of smell. 

T: Moderate lactic acid and grainy wheat malts. Lemony. Once again, there is a suggestion of funk and must, but it never comes to the fore. No bitterness.  Super clean and crisp. 

M: Light body and medium carbonation. Like mineral water. 

O: Berliner Weisse beers put drinkability above all else and Hottenroth is no exception. I love its big flavor and low abv  Perfect for a hot summer evening. 

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2011 04:33:12 | More by Wadsey

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

notchucknorris

California

4.35/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours the color of grapefruit juice with a big, fluffly white head that has pretty good retention.

S: A big wheat aroma and a tad of funk. Some hints of white pepper and lemon.

T: Very light, but has a great taste. Lemon, tart green apple, vinegar, and a touch of baby aspirin. Tart but not exactly sour. Like it restrains itself before it gets so sour that it makes you pucker up. A great take on the style and the perfect summer beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 22:36:06 | More by notchucknorris

Erzengel

Germany

3.55/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice 0,75l bottle with crowntop. Thanks to kappldav for this beer!
Very pale in the glass, no head, light sour smell.
The beer in the mouth starts slightly sour, much less than expected. It continues with this light sour tone, that has a pineapple-like flavour in it. Quite interesting and unexpected for a Berliner Weiße.
The mainpart of this beer is very smooth, mild, the sourness leaves the mouth and is nearly gone with the finish. A bit disappointing, but it leaves a mild-smooth mouth-feeling in the end.
--> Great, light summer-refreshing beer. A bit lighter and less sour as its German counterparts.
The only thing I complain is the price - my bottle says 13,50$ - (which is ~ 9,20€). In my eyes far too expensive for such a beer. It's a good beer - but here in Europe you won't even sell it for half of it!

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2011 19:11:07 | More by Erzengel

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

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

Poured into a tulip glass from a 750ml bottle.

A - Pours a nice pear cider like pale yellow with some slight white wine tones. There is a nice white head that rises up nicely and has some dense bubbles. Very fresh looking beer with some nice frothy white bubbles.

S - Hearty grain notes, slightly grassy malt and wheat. Almost like walking through a field of grain. Delicious slight lemon tartness with some nice funk in there as well. Slight musty blanket aroma mixed in with some refreshing tartness.

T & M - Starts off with some nice grain and malt notes that give it a very nice bready character. There is some nice tartness to the beer with some slight lemon hints as well as some very mild vinegar. Slight Champagne and white wine notes are present. Slight grape notes. This is a very easy drinking and slightly tart wheaty beer. There is some lemongrass in the flavors as well.

O - Quite nice Berliner Weissbier. I can see how its highly rated. Easy drinking. Good flavors and some nice tartness.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 17:11:14 | More by JoEBoBpr

Hoops4life511

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle poured into Chimay chalice. 2011 vintage.

Appearance - Pours a pale lemon yellow, hazy with an effervescent white head. Head quickly falls to a patchy white cap and then disappears all together.

Smell - Light on smell but what smell is there is fresh. Lemony fresh and grainy wheat. Light and pleasant, perfect for a hot day.

Taste/Mouth - Taste is on line with the smell, light but clean and fresh. Tart up front with a ton of effervescent bubbles on the tongue. Finish leaves you with an ever so slight musty hay flavor. Slightly acidic and fruity keeps things interesting. Refreshing and thin bodied, perfect for these 90 degree days.

Overall - Don't look for this one to blow you away with appearance, smell or taste, but it is fantastic to the style. Perfect thing for a hot day especially with the 3.1% ABV, you can drink these all day if you can afford it. Will definitely buy some more and share them with the non craft crowd, see if I can sway a few.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2011 23:39:20 | More by Hoops4life511

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

stercomm

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bomber.

A - Light straw in color, lots of carbonation, looks like a white wine. Slight white head that recedes quickly.

S - lots of lemon, maybe a bit of grassiness.

T - nice lemons a slight sourness, a bit of slate on the finish.

M - light bodied, lots of carbonation

D - not bad for a summer sipper

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 22:46:27 | More by stercomm

Trilogy31

California

3.6/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

Pours a pale clear yellow/silver with a lively head that leaves quickly without a trace, looks like champagne and the carbonation is right on par with that too. The nose is subtle with a slightly sour vinous quality, along with cherry and a touch of earth along with a funky minerality. The taste is spot on champagne, dry, nice acidity, chalky with a slight sourness and almost a french "terrior" of minerals and earth. Very good to drink just not a fan if its considered a beer as it could trick most into being champagne and though i like it, to style its just not there

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2011 04:26:12 | More by Trilogy31

timtim

District of Columbia

4.38/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

this is a wheat beer, so someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't worry about the sediment in this one as much. pours a slightly hazy, glowing white-gold with a white head that fades pretty quickly and manages to leave little bits of lace. lots of lemon on the nose, as well as a good deal of (almost salty) minerality, some hay/wheat, a touch of funk and fruit (pear skin?). taste is just barely tart. lemon rind hits right away, but everything is extremely well-balanced and works together fantastically well. soft, light and zippy mouthfeel. very clean with no aftertaste. overall, a well-done refresher that makes for great summertime schwill. always happy when this comes out. god bless bruery!

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2011 11:26:34 | More by timtim

7ate9

Virginia

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

Light gold hazy yellow with floof big head. no lacing.
Smell is light and spritzy lemon rind cider flowers. Delicate and inviting. No musty smell to speak of like I smell in many others. not a strong smell but clean and vibrant.
big lemon cider tartness on palate. The flavor lasts the length of your tongue and finishes with cider and wet grain. quite nice.
Spritzy and lively and inviting and quenching.
I'm newly infatuated with this style and this is my favorite so far. Really very refreshing and light and quaffable. My favorite from the Bruery's regular lineup. I'll be sipping these all summer.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 22:01:46 | More by 7ate9

kscaldef

Oregon

3.98/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours with a big frothy white head over a beautiful pale straw color like a Sauvignon Blanc.

S: First yeasty, then lemony. A little cracker. Some tropical fruit.

T: Pilsner-like light malt body, only slightly tart. Mild bitterness in the finish. I'd hoped for a little more sourness.

M: Pleasantly prickly. Thin in the mouth, but that's expected for the style. Clean finish.

O: nice beer on a warm sunny day. Easy to sip, quite sessionable were it not a bit on the pricy side.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 01:42:18 | More by kscaldef

Beerenauslese

California

4.33/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This has sat upright in my cellar for almost a year.

Body is clear light gold on the first pour. On the second, it is hazier even while pouring to avoid most of the sediment. Poured to produce a half inch head. The head is foamy white, but dissipates quickly to a ring, and after a few minutes there is no foam left, although there are bubbles still rising from the bottom at a slow rate.

Smells of lemon, biscuity malt, some spice, a little sugary sweetness.

Tastes wonderfully of tart lemon, like a tart lemonade. It scrubs the palate clean and is very refreshing.

Body is light and carbonation is fizzy, giving this a refreshing lively mouthfeel, almost like a champagne. Best to drink this fairly quickly, as the carbonation is lost very fast.

I like this on its own and I don't find it necessary to add flavored syrup. It is a perfect choice when you want a low alcohol yet very refreshing beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2011 03:14:05 | More by Beerenauslese

jbtice0315

California

4.25/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Reviewed from a glass poured on tap at the Bruery Tasting Room.

A - pale, thin, and very cloudy. The head was champagne-like and dissipated quickly leaving little to no lacing.

S - the sour and funk are present in large quantities with corn, lemon, green apples. Others I was with said it smelled overpoweringly "eggy", however I could only get a hint of DMS.

T - The sourness and funk are right on target. The alcohol is only ~3% - refreshing and puckering at the same time.

M - tart, dry, light, refreshing.

D - excellent! This is my favorite berliner weisse. The nose is a little off, but overall a great example of the style.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2011 18:25:43 | More by jbtice0315

vfgccp

New York

4.1/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Reviewed as is, without flavoring.

A – Peach-tinged Champaign. Clean white head says hello and then disappears almost completely.

S – Steely chardonnay with an oxymoronic oak note, and highlights of lemon pith.

T – Spot on for the style. Bright, tart, and acidic. The middle carries an almost brut Champaign-like flavor. The backend lends some fruit with light apple and lemon.

M – Refreshing medium / light body with a wonderfully bright carbonation. Very dry finish, but not overly so.

O – After reviewing half a bottle with a few friends, we poured a second round to try it Berliner-style with flavored syrup. The best was a jerry-rigged apricot syrup made from apricot jam, brown sugar, and enough water to re-dissolve the pectin and thin it out. The juicy and lightly tart apricot flavor paired exceptionally well with the bright lemon-citrus of the beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2011 23:25:37 | More by vfgccp

nova009

Kentucky

3.88/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber into a tulip

A- pours a pale, hazy straw like yellow, a big fizzy white head emerges and quickly dissipates, leaves little to no lacing

S- citrusy, slightly grainy as well, mild tart funk hits the nose, lemony

T- tart lemon, very tart, causes the lips and mouth to pucker, accented with other light fruit flavors like mango and peach

M- very light body, fairly high carbonation that matches well with the body, tart and dry finish, very refreshing

D- pretty good berliner, nice tart character mixed with the citrus, I wish the nose would have been a littler more interesting, solid nonetheless

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2011 23:36:38 | More by nova009

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had this at the Cigar City/ Bruery Takeover! at Redlight Redlight in Orlando.

A-very pale cloudy yellow with a thin white head

S-smells like aged corn, wheat, and some sour green apple. medium strength

T-comes in with a mouth puckering taste of corn and wheat. possibly a hint of green apple. the sourness lasts quite awhile, even in to the after-taste. there's a corn taste that also lasted awhile. its a unique brew but I'm not thinking this is a completely worthy one that i'll be buying again. definitely is a treat for the end of a night.

M-medium to high carbonation with a crisp finish

D-its definitely an easy drinker, but the taste isn't exactly something i want a whole lot of.the corn flavor isn't very desirable to me.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2011 20:49:10 | More by AdamBear

meatyard

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy, straw color with a short, white head that quickly falls to nothing without lacing, as you might expect.

The smell is funk at first followed by lemon.

The taste is tart and lemony with the funk in play throughout.

Mouthfeel is light, sour and dry.

Overall: There's not a great deal to be said since it, as a style, is not that complicated. I do like that there is the Brett funk that's thrown in to give it a bit more complexity than it might otherwise have. It's pretty refreshing, has to be nice on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2011 19:02:28 | More by meatyard

sweemzander

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

750mL bottle poured into a stemmed glass.

(A)- Pours a very pale straw yellow color. Produced an effervescent yet minimal white head that quickly went down to bubbles.

(S)- A really nice dry tart lemon rind and straw wheat. Some nice acidity coming off that lemon character.

(T)- A really excellent acidity bite up front in the form of a tart lemon rind. Some wheat aspects behind that, but otherwise a nicely sour lemon tart profile. A very subtle underlying sweetness on the finish.

(M)- A nice mellow carbonation level and balance. I like the sour kick in this while having a smooth acidity and crisp feel.

(D)- In terms of style, this is really great! It has a ridiculous drinkability due to the mellow ABV and smooth mouthfeel. All the while having a great sour bite to fulfill any sour head's desire at least temporarily. This bottle did not last long. I would not mind getting a case of this for the summertime; Super refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 00:51:57 | More by sweemzander