Professor Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse - Professor Fritz Briem

drummstikk

California

4.22/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Fantastic!

A hazy gold with bright white head that dissipates quickly into a lasting thick ring.

Smells of soft plastic sheeting and tangy grains.

Tastes like heaven. Sweet bananas and apricots, followed by a very balanced sourness that gives you a pucker only during the first sip. A hint of hop bitterness vanishes into the dryest cleanest finish I've tasted from a beer in a long time, almost like the dry vinous finish to a champagne.

Throughout, carbonation is high and spritzy, giving the illusion (perhaps reality?) of a light body. But the body could not be too watery, because it never tastes thin or watery. It is this contradiction in the mouthfeel that makes drinking this beer so exceptional. I can't imagine why anyone would ever choose Bud Light to cool off on a hot day after tasting this beer.

Expected DMS from the unboiled wort, but instead got the most delicate malt sweetness and the flavor of grains. The body is flush with malt flavor, balanced with sourness that, because of the complete lack of vinegar, tickles the tongue.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 05:12:52 | More by drummstikk

gleemonger

California

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very pale yellow and fizzy - looks very much like a cheapo adjunct. Frothy white head that falls quickly and leaves no lacing, but leaves a small head throughout.

Sour lemon and apples, some earthiness, yeasty banana. Very refreshing smelling.

Very interesting flavors here. Similar to the nose, I'm picking up the sour lemony apple flavors with a bit of an earthy, barnyard hop taste. Also getting a backbone of a weizen taste of banana and clove yeastiness. Super tasty and refreshing, very unique.

Crisp, highly carbonated but not too frothy (like an adjunct), thin.

This is my first of the style, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but got it because I've been wanting to try one and because of the good reviews. Definitely not disappointed, and would love to seek more of these out (and I've seen some random ones popping up at domestic breweries). I just really appreciate all the flavors that come through in this, despite the sour twang, which sometimes tends to overpower for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 01:56:07 | More by gleemonger

McDiddyPop

Florida

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

My first crack at a Berliner Weiss. 16.9oz bottle poured into a tulip glass.

This one pours a pale golden/straw color with a bit of haze. So many tiny bubbles make its appearance almost champagne-like. A fizzy, towering head quickly recedes to a thin ring which is only kept alive by its highly active carbonation.

Smells at first like sweet grains. Wheat and a small amount of citric zest come through. After a while of sniffing and trying to pinpoint the aroma, I finally settled on apple sauce. It makes me think of a big bowl of apple sauce. Nothing overwhelming, but it's there.

Tastes mildly citric. A wave of sweetness from the wheat. A nice drying tartness. Nothing overwhelming in the way of sourness- the slight pucker actually is quite pleasing.

Fizzy, spritzy carbonation lighten the body, but the flavors are washed clean and it seems a bit thin. However, the pleasing tartness and the clean finish make this one highly drinkable. An extremely refreshing beer for the Summer.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2009 23:48:51 | More by McDiddyPop

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

donaldchapman

Colorado

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

A - Light golden color, good clarity, with a very small head.
S - Very clean smell, slight lacto aroma, and some wheat.
T - Good malt flavors, with a noticeable but not overwhelming lactic sourness.
M - Medium light bodied with a good carbonation.

This beer was good, it has a fuller body than I would expect, and the lactic acid flavors could be more pronounced. Very drinkable beer though.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2008 23:27:58 | More by donaldchapman

GradyS1

California

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

A-hazy light yellow with a strong 2 finger head, carbination noticable
S- strong citrus notes,lighter pilsner wheet favor comes in as well
T- Sour and Funky upfront but not overwhelming. Sour apples, lemons and a wheat beer mixed togeather. Nice balance.
M- Light, crisp and carbonated.

Overall, I like this syle and this was the best one Ive had so far. It is really a crisp refreshing beer, would have no problem drinking these all day long in the summer

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2011 13:51:10 | More by GradyS1

DrDoitchbig

Michigan

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

Appearance: Poured out a pale, hazy yellow with about two fingers worth of head that completely faded. When I say completely faded, I do mean completely. There was no collar, no cap, nothing and with that obviously no lacing.

Smell: Tart, fresh squeezed lemon juice is on the forefront. Following the lemon is an almost vinegar like acidic sour kick. Further in the background is some spicy wheat malt. It's not overly complex, but it smells very nice.

Taste: Continuing from the smell this really does have a nice tart sourness that is akin to biting on a lemon. Both in flavor and in acidity. It doesn't have the vinegar twang that was present in the smell. Complementing this perfectly is the spicy wheat malt that reminds me of a good hefeweizen.

Mouthfeel: The yeast provides a nice medium body with a fairly high level of carbonation that seems to work for this beer. It's very crisp and refreshing with a drying finish.

Drinkability: As I mentioned a second ago this is very refreshing and the sour aspect of it is pleasant and not overpowering. The drying finish makes me want another sip.

Overall I really didn't know what to expect of the Berliner Weisse. But this is an extremely delicious and refreshing beer. It almost reminds me of a hefeweizen on some kind of sour jag. It's very tasty, now if only it was easier to track this stuff down in Michigan!

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2010 07:08:47 | More by DrDoitchbig

HabiMendes

Rhode Island

3.65/5  rDev -11%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I knew this beer had a different character, but it still surprised me negatively, even though I enjoy sour beers. This Berliner Weisse poured as a golden, somewhat hazy with no neck at all (not even a poorly retained one). The smell is a mixture of curdled milk, leather, sweat - all expected from the style, but they were too evident here. The taste is very refreshing, with good carbonation and acidity. The low-body, but impacting taste leaves more tartness in the finish.

My scores were based on the pure, non-syruped drink. For reference, I also used a non-standard passion fruit concentrate, but even generous amounts of it did not mitigate the overwhelming lactic character - again, it was expected, but too evident on this beer. It helped the appearance, though, as I could finally see a white neck just for a few seconds.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 17:43:42 | More by HabiMendes

Cinderbike

Nevada

3.75/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pale straw yellow with tons of fluffy white head.

S - Hay, malt, and lemon peel.

T - Dry, some faint malt, dominated by a bitter lemon flavor and mouth-puckering sourness. Slightly peppery at the finish.

M - Insane carbonation, like a champagne.

O - A great beer for a light meal or on a hot day.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2011 03:05:13 | More by Cinderbike

nycwinter

California

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

Poured into a chalice.
A: misty pale orange. Look close to see the bubble party around the perimeter. Though I poured carefully, there are sediment parties as well.

S: slight frutiness with Brett wildness on the nose. Oh, did I forget to mention the sharp sourness.

T: sour. Need I say more? Yes I need. Earthy wild Brett yeast and bready wheat balance the sourness very well.

M: light and refreshing

O: great sessionability, though a little pricey. I would drink again.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 04:23:29 | More by nycwinter

Grohnke

Illinois

4.4/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

(BA / BJCP)

Cloudy pale yellow. Exploding white, creamy heads hold remarkably well. Effervescent.
(3.5 / 2)

Light grainy malt. Medium light lemon, and apple. Moderate lactic sourness. No hops.
(4.5 / 11)

Light grainy sweet malt. Moderately light citric fruitiness. Medium light lactic sourness begins the long dry finish and ends with a slight citric sweetness aftertaste. No hops. No alcohol.
(4.5 / 18)

Very light body, very high carbonation. Airy, fluffy, delicate mouthfeel. Effervescent.
(4 / 4)

Quite refreshing, pale, and subtly sour beer. Citric fruitiness adds some pleasant complexity. Soft lactic sourness adds a refreshing quality. Nothing over-the-top, nothing vastly complex -- and I am completely OK with that!
(4.5 / 9)

( 4.4 / 44)

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 00:40:43 | More by Grohnke

Shumania

Virginia

3.83/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottle poured into a tulip

a: hazy straw yellow with looks to be lots of carbonation. Large head that goes away

s: kinda of sour, some funk, straw, slight barnyard smell which isn't off-putting

t: sour lemon and lactic acid, some sweetness

m: tart, bubbly with a dry finish... enjoyable on a hot summer afternoon

I like this beer and wish to try more in the style. This is refreshing in the heat.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2013 19:24:39 | More by Shumania

davewlfpckfan29

Connecticut

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

My friend from Vermont sent this down my way in Connecticut.
Although I notice that the label is imported through CT.

Right off the bat this beer has a great smell. I was expecting a yeast smell with bananas based on the color, but there is much more to this.

The pour is a unfiltered yellow with sediment strands through the brew. Carbonation is nice.

The taste is wonderful. It tastes like a German sour with a great tartness flavor. Pear and Apple taste.
Big fan of this beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 22:39:08 | More by davewlfpckfan29

dfitch81

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I love beer, but every now and then I get into a kind of beer doldrums where nothing sounds good and I'm temporarily bored of all my usual favorites. When this happens, I find that the best way to cast off my beer blues is to find something new and different: 1809, in this particular case. I've wanted to try this brew for some time, but at $5.99 the price was usually enough to make think "I'll try it next time." Damn I'm glad I bit the bullet this time. Appearance is dramatic - I popped off the cap and a fountain of tart-smelling fizz burst out. Glad I had it over the sink... Poured into my hefeweizen glass, 1809 had a towering puffy white head which slowly dissipated to leave a constant layer of froth on the surface. The beer itself looks like liquid wheat and is impenetrably cloudy. The smell of wheat is unmistakeable, but I've never smelled a wheat-beer quite so sour as this. Taste is even more tart than the smell suggests - flavors akin to sour green apple, under-ripe nectarine and grape skin are dominant. The sourness, while extreme, is not in any way unpleasant (quite the opposite), which is good because the tartness lingers on your palate long after you swallow. Mouthfeel is prickly with tenacious carbonation, but otherwise a bit spritzery - could use some more body. Drinkability is good for the style, but this certainly isn't anything you'd want to drink all night. Still, I find it enjoyably different. 1809 is certainly a special beer, and although I wouldn't seek it out as a staple, I look forward to revisiting it.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2008 03:27:26 | More by dfitch81

BacklitAvenger

Illinois

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

Appearance - This is straw yellow. Pale in color with a bright white head that pops and fizzes and throws off a puff or two of foam and leaves copius lacing.

Smell - There's some lemon here for sure, this even smells tart. After my first experience with Duchesse du B I'm glad I do not detect acetic acids or funk. I will try in the future the sours I encounter to attempt to retrain and expand my palate, but as far as sours go this is rather good for me. Pure lacto, no brett, no acetic odor and flavor.

Taste - Inoffensive taste of light grains, with a large burst of juicy lemon and lactic tartness. This is a simple beer with a one-dimensional sort of flavor, but as a summer quencher it hits the mark perfectly. A tad bit sweet to my tastes, with a rather restrained maltiness. White grapes in the background, sourness, tartness, like ripe fruit. Reminds me of white wine or champagne in some way, not sure exactly what as they don't taste too much alike.

Mouthfeel - A spritzy carbonation level means that even a pour beyond gentle into geriatric territory brings forth a three finger head or so. The carbonation boueys up the lovely tartness.

Drinkability - High, especially in some hot weather, when the cold effervescence and tart flavors refresh to excess!

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2009 01:23:18 | More by BacklitAvenger

quinnsi

Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a pilsner glass

At first, and clear orange-golden color, with two solid fingers of rocky head. But the real story here is the ridiculously violent carbonation. It's truly at alka seltzer levels! I could watch this beer all night, and to be honest, it's one of the deciding factors when ordering. All of this changes once the sediment it poured in. The beer takes on a lemony-orange, hazy hue, and all carbonation goes away. One of the coolest visuals of any beer I've had.

The beer is somewhat aromatically challenged, with slight tart fruit and minerals coming through for me.

The beer tastes as carbonated as it looks, which actually works well with the tart, acidic citrus flavors. The wheat seems to provide a nice soft backdrop.

Very enjoyable beer, which drinks easy and is very thirst quenching on a warm day.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2009 04:22:04 | More by quinnsi

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

mbrandon2w

Maine

3.85/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy straw color. Lots of carbonation. Aroma is slightly sour, lemony/citrusy. Mouthfeel is spritzy, a bit like champagne. There's a pleasant tartness and nice citrusy flavor. A tad too sweet. It would be a nice refreshing beer on a hot day. Overall enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2007 00:46:20 | More by mbrandon2w

OldPenguinHunter

California

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

I bought out a case of this at my local liquor store, god I love this stuff...
Pours with a vigorus head, fluffy and bright white, the aroma of tart stone fruit, yeast, fresh bread are very present and welcomed. The beer is very effervescent which knocks up the sediment in the bottle, no matter, just got to pour it well and slow. The taste is great, that's why the beer is great. I don't think this as being a traditional beliner weisse, but I don't really care, it's freaking good. To me it is more of a tart, blonde ale, there is a bit more meat on this beer than I normally expect from BWs, and it is welcomed, again. Mouthfeel is very prickly, but not prickly enough from gulping this beer down, it is just absolutley refreshing.

Overall, final summation: Buy and drink the Sh1t out of this beer when you can find it.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 02:19:14 | More by OldPenguinHunter

7ate9

Virginia

3.48/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Cloudy gold color with a big bubble fluff head that dies to nothing and leaves no lace. fine.
Smells a bit farty sadly. Smells like wine that's been left on the lees for too long. Anaerobic decomposition stank. A bit eggy. Some h2s smellies? Or like a half jug of apple cider you forgot you had in the back of your fridge. Not entirely unpleasant but not so nice.
MMM taste is clean tart and refreshing with absolutely no hint at all of the stinksies in the nose. Not complex but so nice to quaff. Lemon and cider with a bit of wet grain on the swallow.
Carb is lively and inviting and it goes down nice a easy.
I wish that nose was a bit cleaner. I understand the process lends itself to that...but not all of 'em I've had have a stank. With my experience so far with this style I've liked the American versions much better than the german versions. This one is alright and nice to quaff.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2011 21:02:19 | More by 7ate9

AshleyMiller

Vermont

3.53/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

thanks to ejeffer11 for this; poured into my stone snifter

a - pours a beyond opaque straw gold and this one's a bubbler! more than a three finger head that died after a few minutes, leaving no lacing whatsoever.

s - spicy german yeast, plenty of herbals in there as well

t - this one started colder than it should have and all i could taste was tart early on. as it warms an apply tart dominates. those with me thought it tasted watered down, which i only half bought into. the german yeast if very present throughout as well.

m - medium bodied with tons of carbonation, which i balanced the tartness nicely. a sipper for me.

o - this was my intro into berliner weissbiers, so i don't have a lot for comparison. but it was good as an after dinner beer to sip on while drinking. i definitely prefer lambiks and russian river sours in comparison, but it was great to try a german sour.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 04:18:51 | More by AshleyMiller

JeffV

Virginia

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a great gold color with some cloudy yeast floating around. It is clearer at the bottom than on top.

Smells great. A little soury. Kind of sweet.

This is amazing. Elegant and Refreshing. I wish I could have this by the keg for the summer time.

Very nice mouthfeel. Enough said.

The tartness might be a little much for a long session but this is a terrific beer and I'd like another.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 03:24:45 | More by JeffV

elinash

New York

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

This is an absolute perfect example of a berliner weisse. I can't imagine drinking it with syrup, though. It pours with little head, and it's a pale yellow with cloudy yeast. The aroma is slight lemon and light flowers with yeast. Mouthfeel is spritzy, the tartness of the taste changing the mouthfeel. Refreshing, light, and extremely quaffable. I'm glad the world's oldest brewery hasn't sold out.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2007 00:51:57 | More by elinash

Petrislav

Georgia

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into pint glass

A: Vigorous bright white champagne bubble head, pale gold and hazy with sediment

S: Sweet, acidic like a sparkling wine, dry, fruity, many different smells and aromas, complex

T: Not as fruity or dry as champagne, has notes of grape/white fruit, tart

M: Tart, sweet and bubbly

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2010 21:18:57 | More by Petrislav

scoots511

California

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

A: Pours a fizzy white head, bigger bubbles that disappear at a higher rate. Looks nice and clear, turned cloudy towards the end of the bottle when the yeast was stirred up a bit.

S: Lemon, sour some malt

T: Lemon, slight sour, slight acidic taste. I could still taste some of the tartness when I licked my lips.

M: Nice fizzynness reminiscent of a lower carbonated deus, etc

O: Light and lightly tart, refreshing concoction, it actually reminds me of my wifes prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) a bit. This was my first berliner weiss, it seemed nice I've rated it 4's across the board.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 02:02:27 | More by scoots511