Professor Fritz Briem Grodziskie - Professor Fritz Briem

auroracrisis

Kentucky

4.03/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Holy Grale, served into a tumbler.

A pale, hazy yellow with a frothy head that sticks around and makes plenty of lace.

Tart lemons, a touch of bready yeast and some hints at earthy hops.

Sour on the tongue with notes of lemon peel and sour mash. A touch of yeast and earth round out the flavor a bit and provide contrast.

Soft with low carbonation, thin medium in body.

A great sessionable sour wheat beer.

Serving type: on-tap

02-19-2012 05:29:38 | More by auroracrisis

jsanford

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

On-tap at the Churchkey in D.C.

Smoked Sour What beer from Professor Fritz Briem (maker of one of the finest Berliner Weisse around)? I'm there! Pours a clear honey-gold with a soapy white head. Lovely aromas of Beechwood smoke, wheat malt, and lactic acid with a slight herbal character. Taste is similar to the nose, nice balance of smoke, wheat, and lactic acid with just a touch of funk. Reminds me a bit of the Westbrook Smoked Berliner Weisse I had at Brewvival last year, but not as clean. Mouthfeel is fairly light, with a slightly watery feel and lowish carbonation. Overall a very unique beer that I'm hoping gets bottled in the future. Incredibly happy to have tried this!

Serving type: on-tap

12-15-2011 01:43:49 | More by jsanford

pmsawyer

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at Max's

Appearance - Hazy light gold with good solid head and decent head retention.

Smell - Sour grain with light smoke light spice.

Taste - Good balance of sourness and grains and hops. Pleasant tartness that does not dominate. Light smoke flavor adds to the taste without overwhelming other flavors.

Texture - Medium body, moderate carbonation with dry finish.

Overall - Thanks to Max's for this rare offering. Refreshing brew and hope the style popularity grows.

Serving type: on-tap

12-11-2011 14:08:42 | More by pmsawyer

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

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

The description of this beer at Max's doesn't sound super attractive, but what the hell... I had to try it.

The beer pours a slightly hazy golden amber color, with pretty good head retention and considerable lacing. On the nose.... um, not getting a whole lot here folks. There's sort of a light, smoked honey flavor, but that's about it. OK. On the palate, I'm now getting the bar menu description (a smoked, sour wheat beer). Sure enough, the beer is slightly sour and there's definitely a wheat beer flavor compoent going on. There is also some light fruit and hoppy bitteress in this beer, which is kind of impressive, given the low abv. The beer is otherwise pretty dry, and to no great surprise, has a pretty light mouthfeel.

Couple of thoughts. IMHO, it takes considerable cajones to make this kind of experimental ale. The beer is surprisingly tasty and flavorful, especially considering the low abv. and weird combination of flavors. Yet much to my surprise, that combination works pretty well, and I found myself enjoying this beer more than I expected. The sour component is pretty restrained, and in a beer with this low abv., I'm guessing that's not easy to do.

All things considered, this is pretty impressive....

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2011 21:14:59 | More by johnmichaelsen

BeardedBoffin

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Grodziskie is a Polish wheat-style brew from the days of yore. This current draught rendition, from Germany, arrived a cloudy golden color with a big sticky white cap of foam. This brew certainly has wheat character, but the smokey skeleton brings it together. The aroma is nutty and interesting. The body is thick with wheat. The flavors are earthy, smokey and yeasty. A slight touch of spice at the end provides balance. An interesting recreation of a bygone beer.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 01:46:11 | More by BeardedBoffin

oline73

Maryland

3.18/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

I had this on-tap at Max's. Poured into a sample glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy golden color with a solid layer of fluffy white foam. Some lacing and decent head retention.

Smell: Mildly sour with a hint of banana and some spice. A bit floral and not very smokey.

Taste: I thought this was really different from anything I've had. Sour, but not overly so. Some smoke and a bit acidic. I'm tasting the wheat and a confusing flavor that is a bit herbal. The finish is bitter. A bit muddled.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with fluffy carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: I had a tough time describing this one. Really different.

Serving type: on-tap

11-22-2011 04:44:16 | More by oline73

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

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

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

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

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

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

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

Pours out a dark golden and light brown beer, not thick viscosity like a stout, but more akin to a Newcastle flagship brown ale blended with a Coors Extra. Nice head, dense. Aroma, definitely pick up the sour mash notes, the smoke is adequately restrained for my desires, yet still existent enough to qualify as a smoked beer.

Taste, plenty yummy. Good sour and dark wheat notes, the wheat seems more robust here than in your average berlinner weisse, which is what this seems to be at its heart. Thought the tartness was adequate, could have used a little more tart factor, was just a bit below the 1809. Less sweetness (which isn't high) and more tartness could have helped, don't know to what extent the smoked wheat takes away from the sourness.

While its a little pricey for a 500ml bottle ($7), I could see this being one of those cool beers to pick up once a year, best used when grilling around the pool in summertime.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 17:27:04 | More by Beerandraiderfan

PhillyStyle

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured a light, hazy amber that produced a nice white foamy head that was retained for a minute or so and then faded into a thin ring. The aroma was interesting as it boasted mainly a smoky aroma with hints of citrus hops. The taste of the beer was good, upfront it tasted more like Hefe, but at the back end, the smoke kicked in with a slight pepper quality as well. The beer had a light feel to it with decent carbonation. Overall, not a great beer, but one that I might be tempted to drink again.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2012 16:28:51 | More by PhillyStyle

Halcyondays

California

4.4/5  rDev +15.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

500 mL bottle,

A: Pours a cloudy light orange with a finger of white head, sticky lace.

S: Smells like a mix of a rauchbier and a hefe. Banana, wheat malt, and bubblegum.

T: Sweet smoke flavour with a definite yeasty component, wheat malt, bread.

M: Crisp carbonation, light to medium-bodied, refreshing, very drinkable. Acidity is minor but adds a nice touch.

O: Aside from Bootlegger's Wildfire Wheat, I've never had a smoked wheat beer. This is great, more brewers should do this, it'd be great for a BBQ.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2012 18:14:19 | More by Halcyondays

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance. Pours a lightly hazy yellow gold with almost a finger of bubbly white head.

Smell. Sour and sweet wheat, a little meaty smoke and a bit of herby/earthy hops.

Taste. Light grains and smoke, not overwhealming at all. A little sour and a little bit of earthy hops are there.

Mouthfeel. Lighter body with medium carbonation.

Overall. I liked this just fine. The smoke flavour and amount is actually pretty nice. Not the least bit overdone.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2012 01:47:26 | More by Rutager

axeman9182

New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500 mL bottle, part of Amanti Vino's Beer of the Month program. It was pored into my petite Duvel tulip.

Professor Briem's Grodziskie pours a lightly hazy orange. Maybe two fingers worth of white foam rise up and linger for a minute before fading. The nose is very interesting, featuring well balanced interplay between smoke, spicy saaz hops, and a touch of tart, citric lemon. The flavor profile leads off with a bit of a grainy, wheat taste, only for a peppery flourish from the hops to come in next. A light smokiness comes in for the close. Though it's not particularly intense, it does manage to blunt most of the impact of the delicate sourness present (or at least anticpated based on the aroma). The body has a little more heft than I might have anticipated from a 4% beer, and the carbonation just doesn't quite liven the beer up enough. This gratzer's a fairly unique kind of beer, and one that I'm glad I tried. Don't know if I'd actively seek out another one though.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 03:48:29 | More by axeman9182

LiquidAmber

Washington

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

Poured into a Celebrator pokal. Pours a slighlty coudy light orange amber. This white head leaves islands of foam and a ring around the glass, no lacing. Aroma of light bready malt, wheat and a hint of smoke. Flavor starts with light wheat, lemon and faint smokiness, becomes a little sweeter with light wheat and malt and finishes with somewhat abrupt dry wheat with faint memories of sour wheat and smoke. Very subtly flavored, but interesting flavor progression. Light bodied, but to style for a wheat beer. An interesting nearly extinct local style that is well worth bringing back for its unique flavors. I like what the Professor has been doing with these historical recreations.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2012 03:09:02 | More by LiquidAmber

superspak

Michigan

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

500 ml bottle into pint glass, no bottle dating. Pours hazy golden straw color with a nice 2 finger fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Some ok lacing on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of lemon zest, herbal, toasted grain, bread, citrus peel, light smoke, and earthy spiciness. Some nice and balanced aromas with decent strength. Taste of lemon, orange peel, herbal, toasted grain, bread, wheat, floral, pear, and earthy spiciness. Lingering notes of lightly tart citrus, herbal, bread, toast, and earthy spiciness on the finish for a good bit. Great balance of malt flavors with the earthy spiciness; tartness is quite subtle overall. Medium carbonation and light-medium bodied; with a slightly slick and extremely smooth mouthfeel. Extremely easy to drink; with no alcohol presence as expected of 4%. Overall this is a really nice traditional style ale! Nice flavor balance and complexity; and extremely smooth. I really enjoyed this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 02:19:19 | More by superspak

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy, pale golden orange color with a half finger off-white head that quickly settles into a thin ring. Not much in the way of lacing.

Smokey, slightly funky aroma with an interesting combination of wheat and smoke beer characteristics. Hints of zesty, peppery coriander, banana and bready yeast along with decently smoked malt. The smoke doesn't overpower with subtle hints of charcoal, BBQ, and smoked meats.

Medium bodied with a sweet tartness that I expected from the description but was lacking in the nose. Subtle earthy funk along with a strong citrus/lemon peel presence. Plenty of zesty spice with hints of coriander and pepper along with some bready yeast. Smoke less prominent than the aroma suggests. Tastes more like a slightly sour, sweeter wheat beer with traces of smoke lingering in the finish. Pretty good but if the sweetness was toned down and there was a bit more smoke I would love it. Interesting but I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 03:39:06 | More by corby112

crossovert

Wisconsin

3.7/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

500ml bottle.

It pours a cloudy orange similar to a cider. The head is foamy and slightly off white and leaves some nice lacing.

The smell is funky as all hell to me. Sauerkraut, white raisin, lemon, rye bread, funk.

The flavor is nice. Crisp and bready. Just some beautiful malt flavors. Not much smoke but enough to keep it interesting as well as a nice fruity tartness. The hops lend a hand in balancing it out. There isn't much bitterness but some nice herbalness.

This is super drinkable. The smell is a bit off putting but wow is this a quaffer, I want a large scale cheaper version of this.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2012 20:46:31 | More by crossovert

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