White Birch Berliner Weisse - White Birch Brewing

unclejimbay

Florida

4.1/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tried this alongside 3 other authentic Berlinner Weisses at a tasting with about 10 other BAs 9/9/10. This brew made a respectable impression for a example of the style.

Extremely pale color in appearance with stark white head, almost looks like a beer champagne.
Tastes & Aromas of lightly tart aroma with hint of lemon and a light pale wheat base.
We tasted this against 2 30 year old Berliner Weisse and it was an excellent rep of a style baseline before the sour lacto notes set in.
Very light body and high carbo.
Drinkability was very nice for a light wheat beer with a dash of tartness. I would really like to try this with some age on it also.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2010 21:31:24 | More by unclejimbay

MRsojourner

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-26-2013 00:32:15 | More by MRsojourner

WesM63

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%

05-25-2013 05:19:45 | More by WesM63

markgoodman10

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +6.7%

05-25-2013 02:26:38 | More by markgoodman10

DerekMorgan

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-22-2013 02:42:01 | More by DerekMorgan

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

05-18-2013 22:24:48 | More by Photekut

VelvetExtract

Massachusetts

3.24/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

A-Pours a fairly clear yellow color. Decent head, it dies but leaves a good lick of lacing.

S-Not a lot like the Berliners I have run across. Lacking that tart lacto note. Seeing that you could arguably call this an 'Imperial' Berliner Weisse (huge ABV for the style), I am not too surprised to see this deviate in the aroma. I get a lot of green apple juice and some semi-funked wheat.

T-Not really tart at all. Much more sweetness than I am used to as well. Lots of apple juice and sparkling cider. I bet this beer's quality has suffered batch by batch. Its missing the desired complexity and tartness.

M-Not bubbly enough. Not tart enough. A bit too full in body. But it still drinks rather easily.

O/D-Was expecting better here. I bet this beer was great in its infancy; Batch 1 or 2. Now I just don't see how this is a relatively desired beer. Its not bad but its probably the worst Berliner I have had.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 00:18:14 | More by VelvetExtract

comradekyle

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-13-2013 19:33:32 | More by comradekyle

irv2424

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +20%

05-07-2013 18:22:51 | More by irv2424

bmoney

Ohio

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

05-02-2013 23:32:35 | More by bmoney

Kelp

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

04-23-2013 05:33:42 | More by Kelp

RashyGrillCook

California

4/5  rDev +6.7%

04-15-2013 01:33:26 | More by RashyGrillCook

Hopbrizio

California

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

03-14-2013 17:23:15 | More by Hopbrizio

Joshpu

California

4.5/5  rDev +20%

03-08-2013 04:51:45 | More by Joshpu

t0rin0

California

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

03-07-2013 03:19:43 | More by t0rin0

Maxwell

Massachusetts

3.05/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

NOTE: Review of 6 month old bottle
The beer pours a very pale and murky yellow, its body is completely opaque, though it does allow light to come through, and a slight run of carbonation bubbles can be seen running to the top of the glass. The beer pours with a very soapy looking head made of big loose bubbles, but this quickly fades away to nothing. On the nose, this beer smells gross, like rubbing alcohol and cleaning products with a strong touch of pine sol. I feel like the Lacto may have been given too much time to run free in this beer… Gross fruity alcohol is really the only character I get on the nose. On the tongue, the beer tastes much better than the smell, with very metallic sour notes and not a lot else. The beer begins with clear and brutal lactic sour with a touch of chalk. This brutal sour opens into slight lemon and the faintest whisper of wheat bread make it into the finish and aftertaste, but for the most part there is just clear lactic sour running through this beer, which is much more pleasing than the smell, but still a little too sour. On the mouth, the beer feels prickly and puckering, yet with a medium light body. The mouth is left pouring with saliva from the sour and a chalky film covering the rest of the mouth. Overall, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this beer. I appreciate the lactic flavors, and they have clearly grown strong since the beer was bottled in August, but they are little too brutal on the tongue, and there really isn’t anything else going on in the taste. I want more of the faint bread on the taste, and perhaps there is more when this beer is fresh. In conclusion, I wouldn’t try and age this beer for longer than 3 months, but I would be interested to try it fresh.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 18:39:03 | More by Maxwell

Brewsephus

Massachusetts

3.89/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bought from local craftbrew store.
1 Pint Bottle Serving. Poured into Tulip glass.
"Batch 3, Bottle 1632."

A- Pours a slightly hazy, golden color bordering on orange. Fizzy out of the bottle, with very little head, approx. 3 mm. Head dissipates within seconds of forming. Leaves no lacing on inside of glass.

S-Lemony, the wheat malt comes across on the nose first, subtle citrus fruits, apple. Nothing intense or overbearing, every scent is nimble and delicate.

T-Tart, slight pucker, lemon and lime, unripened orange. Rose hips on the aftertaste. The acidity is not to high, nothing burning or cloying. The tart hits you right on the front of your tongue, and slides back, leaving nothing behind but light floral on the finish. The wheat malt is hidden behind all the flavors, clever, refreshing. The 6.8% ABVis undetectable, no strange phenols, etc. No Brett character, no funk, no horse blanket or barnyard. This is the essence of tart fruit right before harvest.

M- carbonation is light, as this beer has thick stringy mouth-feel, I feel a little more carbonation would be delightful and make this beer more crisp like biting into a crab-apple!. This beer even with, what seems like, low carbonation, still has tremendous moutfeel. The lacto fills every corner of your mouth,grabs your taste-buds, and twists them until they cry for more pucker.

O- The one major disappointment I had with this beer was according to the BJCP style guidelines, a Berliner Weisse should fall between 2.8-3.8% ABV. This beer is double that, at 6.8% ABV. While I am not usually one to complain about a high ABV, or a beer pushing the boundaries of the style guidelines, I was looking to enjoy an expertly crafted, nuanced, meticulously malted 3% Weisse. The increased ABV does not take anything away from the flavor or any of the characteristics, but it is outside of the style guidelines. It is a little to high to be a fine session-able Weisse. I understand it may be hard to sell a beer that is low in ABV, but I digress. This beer is impressive, and has been loved dearly by someone who has the skill and heart to pull off such a gutsy brew. Kudos to White Birch, for making a sour lover pucker with joy!

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 22:23:28 | More by Brewsephus

Gobzilla

California

3/5  rDev -20%

01-27-2013 07:09:02 | More by Gobzilla

Lakemonster

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

01-13-2013 16:15:15 | More by Lakemonster

mountdew1

New Hampshire

3.85/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a chalice. Color was a very light golden with a 1 finger white bubbly head. Head disappeared almost instantly, but still had plenty streams of carbonation rising from the bottom. Reminded me greatly of an under-carbonated champagne. Aroma was a dead on ringer for a white wine, a bit on the sour side. A bit of yeast was in there as well. Taste was definitely sour with a bit of tart in the back of the mouth. A fair amount of carbonation kicked in the mouth, but the beet felt a bit tacky. Overall, pretty reasonable. Not my cup of tea, but seemed to be in style.

Bottle labeled batch 1.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 00:42:07 | More by mountdew1

Durge

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +13.3%

11-19-2012 17:25:49 | More by Durge

acurtis

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -6.7%

11-10-2012 16:24:02 | More by acurtis

PeterIngemi

Massachusetts

3.2/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a .5 lt bottle into a duvel glass (batch 3)

A: pours a interesting hazy yellow straw color with little to no head and/or lacing... Not a bad looking beer, but with the zero head and lacing I have to give it a 3.5

S: strange aroma here.... I get some serious funk here, notes of pungent cheese and turning milk.... Very un appealing... A bit of citrus there as well, this aroma is almost bad enough to make me not drink this.

T: luckily that strange funk that made the aroma so un appealing is toned down in the flavor, with tart lemony citrus taking over.... With some wheat on the back, some of that cheesy funk is still there.

M: light medium body with moderate sharp carbonation, a little
Touch of creamyness.

O: I can't get past the aroma, the flavor is good, but the aroma is enough that I would avoid this one... Although it does have some nice tart lemon/lemonade character.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 23:00:17 | More by PeterIngemi

almightyme3

New York

3.25/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Clean pour small head sour on palate and light mouthfeel. As a Berliner weisse should be.

Overall a decent representation of the style but it seems to me as they should be using better quality water. Flavours are spot on but you can taste crappy water aftertaste

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 00:39:24 | More by almightyme3

PEIhop

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev 0%

09-30-2012 02:27:48 | More by PEIhop