Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse - Professor Fritz Briem

philberinghele

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

marching through Prussia
stopping for a refreshment
Napolean's beer

I have never had another Berliner Weisse so I have no basis for comparison but this beer is amazining. It pours a thick hazy golden body with a head that quickly thins out. The taste has a lactic bitterness, somewhat like good yogurt, with citrus presence as well. Apparently Napolean loved this shit.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2007 00:56:21 | More by philberinghele

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This was $6.20 at Downtown Liquors in Boston, expensive, but Im glad I got a chance to try it.

Pours a hazy straw color with a wispy head that quickly turns to a thick ring and some patches. The carbonation is very active, creating whirlpools at the surface. Citrusy, wheaty, fruit estery, woody aromas fill the nose. Minimal sourness shows in the nose as well. Cidery acidity greets my tastebuds upon first sip. Tangy wheat malt, ginger, cloves, and orange flesh flavors all abound. Even some herbal hops make a showing. The mouthfeel is medium with a creamy subtle carbonation feel. The finish is tart and citrusy with a bit of lingering spice.

The balance between sourness and traditional weissbier flavors work really well. This is a fantastic beer, and If its representative of the style, I like this style. Its like a lambic without the funk.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2007 01:06:55 | More by CAMRAhardliner

bonbright7

New York

3.9/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I found this on a tip from another beer site and after I reported seeing it, I decided to try it out as a new one on me. It poured well into hazy golden orange cloud in my bodum insulated glass which produced the scents of hops and grapefruit.

My first taste through the generous head started with a light cream that went bitter and then stopped with a tart snappiness. It was interesting to try this as it could be good palate clearing light ale. One of the other reviewers noted the sour elements which I also came across as I drank this further.

As for its long term drinkability, I do not think this would be an all night kind of beer, but would be better suited to getting used to first.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2007 00:41:27 | More by bonbright7

kajerm

Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle, with a lot of cool history lessons, but absolutely no indication Weihenstephan makes this stuff.

Pours opaque gold with a fine, quickly-dissipating head. When I say opaque, I mean opaque even for an unfiltered German wheat beer-- the only thing you can see through this glass is beer. About ten seconds later, there is not even a trace of a head. Weird.

The aroma is awesome-- typical banana custard esters with hints of mixed fruits and just a drop of funk. Based on other reviews, I was expecting this style to be heavy-handed and ridiculously ridiculously infected, but at least from the aroma, it's complex and enticing.

Opens up with yeast character and banana esters that quickly blow up into refreshing, mouth-puckering sourness, apple cider, and oranges. Lingering yeast and lactic acid sourness mingle to create a fantastic fruity finish.

The yeast gives this beer a nice medium body, but acidity rules the mouthfeel. It works.

This beer is light and refreshing; to me, at least, it's pretty damned drinkable.

I could see how this would be a really easy style to mess up, but this beer just nails it.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2007 00:01:03 | More by kajerm

BeerBelcher

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In my opinion, if there were to be a pyramid hierarchy of beer flavors, sour would be at the top. I think sour takes the longest to acquire a taste for, and can be one of the most sublime. As such, I really liked this beer.

This beer poured a hazy gold/straw color with lots of fluffy head. Aroma was light clove and sourness. Flavor was also a blend of sour and cloviness. I felt this beer was less sour than Berliner Kindl Weiss. I had this beer with a meal, and I noticed a pleasing fruitiness as the beer warmed which was really a nice complement to my meal. Mouthfeel was soft and champagne-like. I really thought highly of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2007 13:28:10 | More by BeerBelcher

balconybrew

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

There's a reason that Weinhenstephan has been around for a thousand years...

The bier pours a light yellow, with a lemonade appearance. A bright white head climbs up the side and stays. The head settled slowly. The aroma is of lemons, bananas (mostly yeast) and wheat. I didnt smell any hops.

I taste what I smell, banana, wheat and lemon. After the bier rolls of my tounge I get a little hop bite and finishes with yeast and wheat.

The mouthfeel is good. Light and refereshing. A good lawnmower drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2007 00:02:47 | More by balconybrew

MABZ

Nebraska

4.63/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

What a great beer. I really didn't expect to like this after having hated the Berliner Kindl-Weisse so much, but this one is very different. Just a light tartness and still very refreshing.

The beer pours fairly clear at first, but after mixing in the sediment, it looks like a witbier. Very pale yellow, almost white with all of the light reflecting off the sediment. Has a nice lofty head with great retention and washy sheets of lacing. Unexpectedly very little apparent carbonation.

The smell is awesome. Just a light lactic tartness with a strong citrus twang. Quite lemony with a soft sweet wheat malt aroma and undertones of banana. Even more subtle hints of spice. Almost smells like a malt based lemonade, but in a good way (not like Lienie Summer Shandy, or something like that).

The taste is phenomenally refreshing. Up front, flavors of banana and wheat come in to play, but as it is forced down the palate a light tartness takes over. Great lemon zest flavor. The finish is very dry with no lingering aftertaste. Only a hint of spice, perhaps coriander. Very easy to drink. I may have to try this with a hit of syrup sometime.

The body is quite light and dry. The carbonation is so light it almost can't be felt on the palate. If it weren't for the lactic acid burn, this would seem almost flat. I am going to make this my new summer drinker, though I may have to take it easy at $5 a half liter.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2007 06:41:08 | More by MABZ

emerge077

Illinois

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light, cloudy, lemon yellow in to a Schwelmer Weizen glass. Lots of foam on the first pour, not as much when the yeast was poured in. Body is almost a pastel yellow against the orangy tendrils of yeast that slowly descend. Looks similar to a Witbier.

Odor is slightly musty, barnyard hay, and grain. I've had many Hefeweizens when they are past their prime, and this is reminiscent of that, unfortunately. Not offensive, but not entirely pleasant.

Taste redeems the lacking aroma. Nice citric lemony tartness up front, followed by a mellow wheaty finish. The tartness is unique to the style, and seems to enhance the drinkability.

Slight prickly quality to the carbonation, with a mild creaminess to the mouthfeel. A nice warm weather quaffer. The price is a little prohibitive though, at $5.49 per .5L.

Label notes: "Brewed with traditional mash hoping and without wort boiling. This along with a traditional strain of lactic acid bacteria provide a fruity and dry but palateful (sic) character."

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2007 00:57:37 | More by emerge077

geexploitation

Indiana

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very light, slightly cloudy yellow with a tinge of gold. Delicate, perfectly white head that kicks up and stays put but leaves no lace. Big, pungent aroma of funky, sour citrus notes (lemon and grapefruit). Distinct lactic acid smell laid on top of a slightly grainy note. On the palate, soft fruit flavors come out first, but then things sharpen up with whip-crack acidity that starts light and then gains weight through the mid-palate. The mid-palate has a very metallic flavor to it, then gives off one final burst of sourness before fading into a surprisingly sticky finish. Wonderfully bold acidity and citrus flavors -- kind of like a good New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Light in body, lots of activity on the sides of my tongue, stiff carbonation. I don't have much experience at all with this style, but I'm really impressed with this beer. Great for summer time, great for summer foods, very distinctive and interesting.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 03:49:54 | More by geexploitation

MaltyGoodness

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

16.9oz bottle

Found this odd brew @ Shawn Liquors. No real brewery listed, only "brewed by Dr. Fritz Breim, Munich, Germany". A Google search found the impoter, B. United Intl's website that loosely indicates that this is a collaboration between Doemens Institue and Weihenstephan.

Pours a hazy pale straw colow with a fluffy white head that thins. Mild lacing on the glass.

Aroma is bready and yeasty with a nice sour twang.

Taste is bready upfront immediatly washed over by a refreshing sourness and yeasty taste. Finishes quite clean with a mild fruitiness.

Light body, solid carbonation.

This was my first experience with this style, and quite a positive one. Delicious flavor and super drinkability. A bit pricey at $5 for 16.9oz, but well worth it for the experience. I hope to find this again, but I suspect that it's quite a rare find.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2007 23:27:14 | More by MaltyGoodness

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from tap at Avenue Pub NOLA. Pours a hazy golden with a little bit of white foamy head. Great hefe banana and clove aromas with a nice dose of sour. Taste is fantastic banana hefe wheat, with a burst of sour. Finishes with a chocolate like note and smooth. Its amazing how the tartness just finishes out leaving the maly characteristics behind. Really a fantastic brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2013 05:20:18 | More by DrinkSlurm

haazer

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First beer of Philly beer week.

A - A hazy golden brew, looks somewhat like apple juice. Steady stream of bubbles rising to top. No head remains or lacing.

S- Smells funky and a bit tart. There's a definite wheat characteristic of a hefeweizen. The funk and sour characteristic replaces the usual clove and banana.

T - Sweet and tart to start. A little bit of funky sneaks in, and a sour apple characteristic. The hefe quality is there in the aftertaste.

M - Crisp, clean and refreshing. Light bodied brew with ample carbonation.

O - A nice refreshing beer for a warm spring, or summer day. Reminds me of a sweet tart. I can see me getting into Berliner Weiss's.

Serving type: on-tap

06-03-2012 20:25:12 | More by haazer

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

4.35/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at St. James Infirmary. Nice yellow haze glow to it, ample carbobation, head retention is exceptional. Good lemony and tart aroma, fresh ground wheat. Mild yeasty presence.

Taste, more tartness, great light mouthfeel and body to the beer. Amazingly similar to Hottenroth. So fresh and so clean. A perfect summer beer. Very prickly carbonation like a nicely done skunky pilsner (this is not skunky whatsoever). Like most good bw's, there is no residual sugar, just plenty of tartness and a light wheat base to wrap it around.

Serving type: on-tap

10-10-2011 17:56:13 | More by Beerandraiderfan

deltatauhobbit

Maine

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap over at Lion's Pride, poured in a tall mug.

Pours a hazy yellow color with a large fluffy white head that fades very slowly, leaves some patchy lacing.

Smell is lightly sour and tart with a nice malt sweetness in the background, nice amount of citrus in the nose with no hops to balance things.

Taste is refreshing tart but not overwhelming, the right amount of sweetness makes it tolerable, no bitterness to speak of, lightly acidic with a decent amount of citrus, the only complaint is it's a bit light in flavor and at times feels watery.

Easily one of the best in the berliner weissbier style and the fact that it's readily available makes it ever better.

Serving type: on-tap

09-02-2010 02:46:00 | More by deltatauhobbit

jlindros

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Had on tap @ Ebenezers.

A: Super light dirty water colored beer with a touch of pale yellow, clearer than the windows on the walls, and no head at all.

N: A sour lemin with some light fruit, a touch of yeast, lemonade, a bubble nose as well like Champagne, a light sweet malt, very light nose overall.

T: Some bready malts, a little toasty malt flavor with a touch of that dry funk and that typical lacto dry toasty flavor. Lemonade breaks the dryness a bit with some tart and sour juicy fruit, with some sour lemon, a touch of yeast, light and creamy with a subtle malt flavor too. It's very dry all around.

M: Very light with an effervescence, but almost no carbonation.

F: Very dry of course, with a touch of wild dry sour fruit funk and lingering toasty flavors. A crisp but light creamy flavor balances with a gentle tart bite. Mouth watering dryness and sour fruit balance the funk well. The lacto dry flavors stick around too.

Serving type: on-tap

07-07-2010 02:09:18 | More by jlindros

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's today.

The beer pours a fairly light gold color, but with surprisingly good head retention and decent lacing. Nose is attactive, with light lemon zest, bread dough and a hint of ginger. Flavors replicate the nose in this excellent beer, and I'm surprised how much flavor it delivers given the low abv. Mouthfeel is light and mouthwatering, with the alcohol completely unnoticeable.

Flat out delicious, and oh so drinkable. Impressive.

Serving type: on-tap

05-14-2010 21:23:09 | More by johnmichaelsen

BeerGodz

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On Tap @ The Devil's Den

Look: Pale golden color, cloudy - yeasties dancing all over, with a head that dissipates very quickly

Smell: Lemon zest, vanilla, wheat, acid funk - very aromatic

Taste: Up Front: Nice and tart, lemon zest. Finish: Sweet. Good balance of malt and wheat flavors

Mouthfeel: Thin, and very smooth

Drinkability: Super quaffable session beer! Uber refreshing! Not sure how many I could have in a row. I'll have to test that one day.

Overall Impression: This is a style that will appeal to people that enjoy Tart Belgian Ales, and Wild Ales. I strongly recommend against getting the syrup poured into it, thus making it a foofoo girly drink.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2010 01:35:42 | More by BeerGodz

robbyc1

Illinois

4/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On draft in October, light gold into a tall glass, slight white head, decent lace.

Sour apple and spice, you get the sourness up front, then a good malt middle, with a sourish finish that puckers. The flavor is not quite as good as the smell, but very refreshing. Slick and heavier than expected in the mouth, a refresher that really one is enough, not a session beer, but I could see putting some fruit into this as they do where they make it.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2009 15:53:19 | More by robbyc1

vacax

California

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On-tap at Beachwood BBQ.

Pours straw yellow, cloudy, with a sparse white head. Scent of lemon and some light funk, yet still crisp and appetizing. Tastes citric with lemons, and some light funk. Pretty good, though I like the grain to shine through a bit more instead of having the funk. Light bodied with a medium mouthfeel. Not a bad beer to break up the rest of the night, but not something I would want to session.

Serving type: on-tap

10-14-2009 23:04:39 | More by vacax

m1ked

California

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Blind Tiger

A- pours a cloudy dull straw yellow. Minimal head that turns into a half circle of whitle foam. Looks like dull pineapple juice.

S-Tart green apple, touch of vinegar, tad cinnamon/clove. Its not overpowering at all.

T- Lemony tartness at first is all I notice but it never really peaks to the saliva producing stages. Once the tartness fades I get the green apple rhubarb with light cinnamon.

M- Very light, not too tart. Crisp carbonation.

D- I think this is a cool style in general- and this is a good representation. I wouldn't put down a bunch, but I think pairing with food would be cool.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2009 22:24:50 | More by m1ked

jgasparine

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Served in a wine glass. The body was very cloudy, making it a completely opaque dull yellow. Lots of tiny bubbles were observed breaking on the surface. The head was thin, white and foamy... and it slowly dissipated with time, leaving no real lacing behind.

S- The nose is comprised of barnyardy grains mixed with some sour lactic notes- I'm getting aromas of straw, horseblanket, wheat and some sourness.

T- The taste is a perfect replicate of the nose, with a long lactic and slightly metallic finish. Very refreshing. The first several sips were taken au-naturale... but the last several sips were taken with additions of raspberry and woodruff syrup respectively. These syrups added a sweetness to the beer that perfectly complimented the sour lactic notes. With the raspberry syrup, I could close my eyes and believe I was drinking a Lindemans Framboise!

M- Very light body with tons of coarse carbonation. The abundance of this carbonation makes it hard to analyze the texture of the beer.

D- Very refreshing and drinkable- if it were only on tap throughout the summer!

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2009 14:07:49 | More by jgasparine

DefenCorps

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Max's

Cloudy, translucent yellow with a thin, white head that recedes to a disk. Lactic tartness up front with a mild lemon and citrus character. Raw wheat is noticeable as it warms up. Tart and refreshing with a mild lactic character. Plenty of lemon and lime character, before a dry, tart and refreshing finish takes over. High in carbonation, light in body, this beer is immensely drinkable. An excellent berliner weiss.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2009 17:49:07 | More by DefenCorps

Overlord

California

4.15/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Interesting. Pours a pale yellow, gigantic, absolutely huge white foam head. Smells like lemons, yeast, and ... zest? Is that a smell?

Taste is crisp, tart lemony citrus, some yeast, some breadiness ... and more lemon. The consistency is like club soda, incredibly fizzy. Nice acid sour burn on the palate.

This beer gets more drinkable everytime I try it. Mmmm. Wish I saw it available more often.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2008 00:25:11 | More by Overlord