Professor Fritz Briem Grodziskie - Professor Fritz Briem

tewaris

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16.9 oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Light golden with a great head and spritzy looks. Good retention.

Hops and slight tartness in the nose. Only slightly tart, somewhat meaty and smoky, with a woodiness to it. Interesting to say the least and quite unique. Slight bitterness at the end that lingers. The palate soon gets accustomed and it drinks as easy as any other light and crisp (and good) beer.

Medium body with good carbonation. Would like to see a Gose soon.

4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2012 22:52:11 | More by tewaris

Jsmick

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

05-17-2013 03:49:25 | More by Jsmick

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: slightly-hazy, light yellow-gold....several sloppy lace rings

S: honeyish, not terribly "smoky" - has more mellow floral and bubblegum phenolic characteristics....very subtle, dull smell overall

T: sharp-tart for the first sip or two, slight smoke in the finish...after the initial sip, the tartness drops off dramatically then slows builds and settles on the palate with each sip....some malt flavor, definitely wheat....the smoke flavor is remarkably reminiscent of the Bamberg beers (same malt supplier, or same wood smoked over) just several degrees weaker.... dull orange-citrus, honey-wheat late in the aftertaste

M: all top, no bottom... mild sliminess.... ridiculously dry.... little residual anything other than a sourish, dull wheat nuance

O: not bad, just dull.... maybe "dull" is not the right word - "dainty"?... comes across like a stupid-mellow Bamberg smoker

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 05:33:16 | More by Bouleboubier

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

04-12-2013 16:35:53 | More by Mebuzzard

Twig2848

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

04-06-2013 03:25:57 | More by Twig2848

DRBiser

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

04-01-2013 16:57:34 | More by DRBiser

bigred89

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

03-29-2013 01:13:36 | More by bigred89

YobroitsJoe

Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +18.4%

03-28-2013 06:56:14 | More by YobroitsJoe

stickboymd

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

03-26-2013 00:57:35 | More by stickboymd

mendvicdog

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -1.3%

03-19-2013 02:12:35 | More by mendvicdog

duceswild

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev -7.9%

03-17-2013 18:18:03 | More by duceswild

Tone

Missouri

3.39/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy, golden/copper color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Decent retention and poor lacing. Smells of sweet malt, pale malt, wheat, slight hops, lemon, and slight clove. Does not seem to fit the Smoked Beer category more aptly applies to a Berliner Weissbier. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is also a noticeable tartness. Tastes of pale malt, slight sweet malt, sight hops, slight wheat, hint of smoke, slight minerals, lemon, and a hint of clove. Overall, decent blend, body, and aroma, but smoke is almost non-existent.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 16:04:06 | More by Tone

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

03-15-2013 13:06:30 | More by marlinsfan4

match1112

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -14.5%

03-09-2013 02:05:34 | More by match1112

popery

California

3.63/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours an orangish yellow color. Fairly hazy. Slightly off-white head. Kinda rocky. Fades pretty quickly. Not a very pretty beer, but it's not an important consideration to me. The aroma is smoke with some spicy, mineral-ish hops. There's a touch of sourness and a kinda stale malt flavor. Very mild. Taste is a bit better. It's mildly tart with some nice background wheat and malt sweetness. Low level of bitterness. Good mix of wheat and hop spiciness with yeast or, maybe, actual spicing. Sort of a grassy, wheaty finish. Some funky, earthy flavors are also in the mix. Mild woody smoke. A little too much sweetness for my palate or I'd go higher with my score. Mouthfeel is a bit full. I'd prefer the beer to be a touch crisper, but the smoke might make that kinda odd. Relatively low carbonation. This was a fun beer to try, but it's just a bit mild, and the malt sweetness doesn't quite seem right. I also wonder if a fresher bottle would have a little more hop kick to it, as the label alludes to hops as a highlight and they don't really come across with much strength. Still, I'm always happy to try lesser known and historical styles.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 05:20:49 | More by popery

bklynj

New York

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

02-04-2013 01:11:44 | More by bklynj

Jspriest

Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

01-19-2013 01:54:31 | More by Jspriest

pathman

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +11.8%

01-01-2013 21:40:21 | More by pathman

yamar68

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very excited to try this unusual sounding beer. The label describes it as an ancient Polish style of sour smoked wheat beer.

Beautiful hazy honey body capped with a thin, loose moment of spotty white carbonation... great lacing, essentially looks like a dark Berliner Weisse.

Intriguing mixture of smoked malts, light fruit, soft acidity, some sweet citrus, earthy conifer, everything is kept in check - the tartness, wheat and smoke all each offer an interesting addition to beer.

The smoke is faint and nuanced on the palate which I'm thankful for. Pale fruits - pear, apple, a bit of citrus, I wish there was a bit more acidity... without it, this beer doesn't take any one focused direction. Instead, each aspect that highlighted the nose is rather bland as it translates to the tongue.

Very unique stuff. Get yourself a bottle of this, for the sake of science if nothing else.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 01:23:47 | More by yamar68

gshackles

New York

4/5  rDev +5.3%

12-29-2012 04:01:08 | More by gshackles

zaphodchak

Virginia

1.93/5  rDev -49.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Nice straw-amber gradient and a finger of white head. Nice lace.

Smells obviously skunked. Difficult to discern anything else other than skunk.

Tastes quite watery, skunkiness is there as well. Behind the which there is a bit of tartness and a trace of smoke. Ideally, this would be refreshing, but this one is a drain case.

Smoothish but a bit extra-bright and overcarbonated.

You would do well to disregard this review, as I'm 85% sure this is a case of "beer that has gone bad" rather than "beer I don't like." I love smokey beers. How it skunked is a mystery (in the brown bottle) but I'm going to try and get a refund on this one if I can.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 22:05:21 | More by zaphodchak

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Dark golden effervescent beer, a nice wheat head sticking to the glass.

S - Lots of sweet golden wheat aromas with an almost layered twang. Slightly bitter and dry in the nose. Hints of candied citrus, banana and tangy mineral water. The smoke is hardly present.

T - Earthy and grainy, a chewy blend of wheat bread and biscuits. A bit metallic with some tartness and fruit hints. The hops add a slightly bitter edge and the smoked character comes through cleanly in the end. This beer tastes healthy and packed with grainy vitamins.

M - Light bodied, it has a good drinkability and a clean effervescence. The subtle flavors lend a nice blend.

O - I wouldn't consider this a smoked beer but rather a wheat beer with a mild smoke. Nonetheless its tasty, clean and enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2012 19:08:12 | More by BeerForMuscle

Misanthropy_Sipping

Nebraska

3.9/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I was really expecting something out of this world when I picked this up in Durango, CO. I am definitely in love with the Berliner W. from the same brewer.
The smell of smoke, slightly tart citrus, and wheat germ was all very delicate but inviting. Not nearly as effervescent as the Berliner.
The smoke was mild, the sourness was mild, the overall beer was simply delicate. Of good quality, but utterly delicate. So much to the point I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping for even a tad bit more sourness and smokiness to this. Just a tad, but it did not quite pull through.
I was pleased to give it a whirl, but it won't be something I will be charging back to the store for and grabbing up each and every time I see it.

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 19:36:53 | More by Misanthropy_Sipping

drperm

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +25%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into my Aventinus Weizenstarkbier glass, just for fun (I love that glass).

Unassuming to the eye, it appears as a dark-apricot-colored, slightly-hazy (but not very) ale. Then the fun begins.
The nose is wheaty and earthy with a slight fruit quality: pears, bananas, and persimmons.
On the tongue, it comes to life: a pleasantly present (but not overwhelming) amount of smoke, mixed with a nice wheat-barley balance (think American wheat ale rather than Hefeweizen or Wit), and a sufficiently bitter backdrop. The sourness is more implied than overt, although them that do not like sour beers may disagree on that point.
The mouthfeel is rich and creamy with an appropriate snap at the end.

I can't get enough of this beer, and am glad my LBS is well-stocked with them! Another winner from Professor Fritz. I'm enjoying mine with a charcuterie plate that includes some Welsh mustard cheese -- the combination of it with the beer is PERFECT.

Now, if I can just find a recipe to brew this at home...

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 19:13:19 | More by drperm

dasenebler

Maine

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Fritz Briem Pivo Grodziskie - Graetzer Ale
8/26/12
.5L, no date.

Pours a pale, hazy orange with a small white head. Decent lacing and retention. (3.5)

Aroma is lightly sour and subtly smokey, with an almost whiskey-like woody/oaky note. Very interesting and unlike any beer I've had before. (4.5)

Flavor is tart and smokey. What a combo, really throws you for a loop. Nevertheless the beer remains subtle, balanced and drinkable, despite the oddity of the flavors. Spicy and wheaty, with a solid dose of bitterness. A bit oxidized though. The sour-mash technique and smoked wheat malt create an almost Bourbon-like character. Dry, rustic and relatively weightless on the palate. Mouthfeel tends to be a bit watery, something that could be solved by higher carbonation. (4, 3)

A fascinating, resurrected relic of a beer style. Well done, Herr Doktor Professor Briem. Smoked beer fans will find a lot to like here. A ton of flavor in a low-ABV package. (4.5)

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2012 22:35:35 | More by dasenebler