Cranpire Christmas - Pipeworks Brewing Company

cosmicevan

New York

3.59/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

big thanks to mjohnson17 for the brew, and yeahnatenelson for the pipeworks berliner glass from the glass bif.

a - poured a soft fizzy pink. looks like pink soda. thin bubbly head that fizzed away quick with a small island of tiny bubbles left on the surface. the sides of the glass are coated with bubbles. looks fairly carbonated!

s - artificial fruit flavoring. cranberry (duh)...more on the natural cranberry edge than the ocean spray edge. fairly thick and a bit cheesy (uh oh, thinking blue lady here).

t - hey, that's not bad at all...cranberry juice. some cheese. pretty drinkable...can i get through the full bottle? i think so. very cranberry juice with a hint of cheese.

m - carbonated, but still somewhat juicelike...cranberry soda anyone? maybe a little cheesiness.

o - overall much better than blue lady (at least the batch i had), but definitely some notes of the cheesiness which takes things down a notch. kind of like cranberry soda, but more natural cranberry as opposed to ocean spray, but there is definite sweetness here to keep things in check.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2013 06:14:55 | More by cosmicevan

jakeox

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%

05-18-2013 23:29:59 | More by jakeox

ShanePB

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-10-2013 19:16:31 | More by ShanePB

powz87

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

05-07-2013 16:13:20 | More by powz87

Texasfan549

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

04-18-2013 18:35:31 | More by Texasfan549

mpetersen

Illinois

3/5  rDev -21.3%

04-12-2013 14:31:05 | More by mpetersen

cadaugherty

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%

04-12-2013 04:04:49 | More by cadaugherty

ShemRahBoo

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

04-08-2013 16:28:11 | More by ShemRahBoo

kjkinsey

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

04-02-2013 22:37:07 | More by kjkinsey

mdaschaf

Washington

4/5  rDev +5%

03-24-2013 23:53:33 | More by mdaschaf

CPditka

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%

03-23-2013 20:19:56 | More by CPditka

homebrew311

Illinois

3.79/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured into tulip glass. Appearance is a nice bright pink with nice clarity and minimal white head. Smell starts with acidic cranberry character, reminds me of the cranberry gelatin that comes in a can during the holiday times. There is a bit of wheat and lemon in the background along with a touch of funk which I'm not sure if it belongs in this party. The taste is super tart up front and gives way to a strong cranberry character. That same unwelcome funk comes Next. Now I know that funk has a place in a Berliner, but someone about this tastes a touch off, almost plasticy. Mouthfeel is light and highly carbonated. Overall, a flsvorful brew with a nice presence of cranberries, just has sme weird stuff going on too.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 08:01:06 | More by homebrew311

Romulux

Michigan

4/5  rDev +5%

03-04-2013 01:39:54 | More by Romulux

tectactoe

Michigan

3.71/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Tasted with the group, side-by-side with the other three Pipeworks Berliners. 4/4. Pours a light sunburst color, orange and murky with a foamy off-white head that fades quickly into nothing. The smell is very, very light on this one - kind of hard to pick up anything right off the bat. After digging for a bit, there are some light cranberry and mixed berry notes underneath, accompanied by a slight astringency. Slight tartness can be perceived from the aroma, too, but not until the beer has warmed up substantially, and by that point, you've probably already taken a sip. The nose remains pretty quiet and underwhelming through most of the beer, though when you pick up anything at all, it does smell pretty good.

The taste has a light tartness to it, probably finishing second in the list of "most sour" between the four Berliners. Mellow cranberry is the heaviest flavor, as it should be. I like the way the cranberry was handled - it was lighter and softer. I was afraid it could be too heavy and syrupy, like Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice or something - good thing it was not. Although, the mellow flavor that it did have definitely could have been more powerful. There's a mild tartness spike, but not enough to pucker. Sweetness flows through to the aftertaste, where I'm picking up a slightly strange "cardboard" flavor. Not exactly off-putting, but I don't really know how to feel about it. It just feels a bit out of place. Thin body, medium-high carbonation.

Again, a decent Berliner, but an underwhelming aroma prevents it from being great. Still tasty and very drinkable, as a Berliner should be. I'd say this one finishes third out of the four Pipeworks Berliners.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 16:44:42 | More by tectactoe

makdeco

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

03-03-2013 14:05:35 | More by makdeco

Hugonaut13

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

02-19-2013 02:09:24 | More by Hugonaut13

ehammond1

California

3.48/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle (2012)

Thanks for opening this with me, BdubleEdubleRUN!

Hazy dark pink and light ruby with a thin head of white, creamy foam.

Cranberry and mild lactic sour character in the aroma, along with some cheesey funk.

The flavor is similar to the aroma, with definite cranberry character coming through, along with mild sweet, some lactic sour character, and a cheese character I wish wasn't present.

Thin to medium bodied with moderate to near-high carbonation.

Good, but probably my least favorite of Pipeworks berliners to date.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 18:35:02 | More by ehammond1

imperialking

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%

02-13-2013 18:33:00 | More by imperialking

mcc1654

Illinois

4/5  rDev +5%

02-12-2013 19:53:14 | More by mcc1654

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.46/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to djcorrao for the bottle.

Appearance: Pours a hazed pink. Looks like a fizzy pink lemonade or grapefruit juice. Head is a super pale pink and drops to a tiny collar in short order.

Smell: A lighter version of the same funky cheese and funk from Blue Lady. Nice undercurrent of tart cranberry flesh and juice. A bit sweet. Delicate layers of funk, wood, and tannic fruit. Sweat. Almost Kool-Aid sweet at times. Powdered drink.

Taste: Clean citric tart.edge. Mild push of tart cranberry flesh in the back. Some softer layers of powdery funk. Likely acetic. Very clean and light. Some dampness. Hints of own round out the back. Some pale malt. Seltzer water.

Mouthfeel: Light body with a moderate carbonation. Feels effervescent thanks to the tart edge. A bit dry.

Overall: Vampires always beat ladies.

A nice mild sour. Backing fruit is delicate and allows the funky elements to really shine. Easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 22:48:18 | More by Goblinmunkey7

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.49/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this (and giving me more once he magically exploded my glass with a TV remote)

Consumed 2/9/13

Appearance: Pink, perhaps salmon - looks like somewhere between a pink lemonade and ruby red grapefruit juice - off-white, vaguely pink head - decent carbonation, keeps a little cap - leaves a few streaks of lacing

Smell: Very weird (as I suppose a Berliner Weiss should be) - sharp cheddar cheese, funky cheese, and vinegar-like weirdness - some fleshy cranberries and cranberry skins - some tart, some sweetness - kind of smells like a weird fruit juice with seltzer

Taste: Lactic sourness, tart, and a hint of cranberries - like a light sour, similar style to the other Berliner Weiss from Pipeworks (Blue Lady, reviewed last night) - not particularly fruity, but it works - some yeasty weirdness in addition to the funky qualities - watery, but in a refreshing way, mellow - acidic with some vinegar

Mouthfeel: Light, nice carbonation, very drinkable, watery

Overall: OMG Cranpires!

This is an interesting beer. It's about as interesting as Pipeworks' Blue Lady. Lightly fruity, funky, and weird. Refreshing, but not a particularly mind-blowing Berliner Weiss.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 22:46:08 | More by angrybabboon

redblacks75

Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

02-08-2013 01:19:21 | More by redblacks75

Justin_Neff

Ohio

3.99/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from bottle into Duvel tulip glass.

A: Appearance is very cool on this one. Bright pink color that resembles grapefruit juice. Fizzy, bubbly head that settles quickly into a nice small rim and lace around the top of the drink. No lacing on the glass, as to be expected from the style and low ABV.

S: Lots of cranberry. Some esters, and sweet tart smells.

T: Good amount of tartness. Cranberry, grapefruit, some malt background.

M: Light body. High carbonation. Very dry. Perfect for a Berliner body.

M - Pleasant and spritzy carbonation, medium-light body, and a crisp, dry finish. Goes down really easily.

O: This got a little better with every drink as it warmed. This had about the perfect amount of tart and flavor for my liking. Another well-done brew by Pipeworks.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 23:20:18 | More by Justin_Neff

Nachos4two

Illinois

3/5  rDev -21.3%

01-16-2013 22:18:46 | More by Nachos4two

BeerOps

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

01-13-2013 22:26:09 | More by BeerOps