Riserva - Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

tdm168

North Carolina

4.19/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A - dark amber with a thin lacing of off white head

S - tart raspberries, lactic

T - tart, lactic, sweet raspberries, oak, woody

M - medium bodied, warm, well carbonated

This is a fantastic Wild Ale. It has tremendous balance, deep flavor, and great balance. The oak-aging is superb as are the raspberries. The lactic, tartness is intense but almost perfect. This is definitely a beer that is worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 23:54:13 | More by tdm168

beechner224

Florida

4.7/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured into large pint glass since I was drinking it by myself. The appearance was a nice red with a thin layer of foam. Lots of carbonation, which I like with sours. The smell was great, lots of raspberries and vinegar. Thought the taste was great. Just what I wanted with this sour. The raspberries are upfront, then the sour, vinegar, funk comes through nicely. Mouthfeel was very nice, with the tons of carbonation and dry with lip smacking tartness.

Overall, thought the beer was great and would definitely get again. But next time, I might share with a friend, it is a strong beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 19:52:32 | More by beechner224

weltywm

Pennsylvania

4.81/5  rDev +21.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured into 4 snifters and split with some friends.

Appearance: Dark ruby red with a thin 1/2 finger of foam. Lots of carbonation.

Smell: Raspberries, vinegar, and funk.

Taste: Wow, this is good. The raspberries are obvious and big, complemented well by strawberry, vinegar, and lots of funk. As I kept drinking, I also picked up on really dry, red wine flavors.

Mouthfeel: Very carbonated and medium bodied. The finish is long, dry, and mouth-puckering. Delicious.

Overall: A very, very fine beer. Weyebacher has done it again. All of the flavors are complex and complement each other very well. Despite the steep price, I would definitely buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 13:36:47 | More by weltywm

Vonerichs

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The body is a bright red color and clear. It has active carbonation the creates a tall but whispy head.

It has a great fruity smell of raspberries and strawberry with a funk.

The raspberries dominate the flavor with a high level of tart and acidity, giving it an vinegar aftertaste on the palate. My eyes were on the verge of watering.

The mouthfeel is crisp and light. Aside from the vinegar it's amazingly drinkable for 11%.

I felt the sourness was a little too overboard and detracted from what is otherwise a really good beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 00:52:10 | More by Vonerichs

Juuroumaru

Florida

4.53/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Cloudy red with a small white head.
S- smells of raspberry along with slight souring.
T- Acidic raspberry up front that mellows into a slight sourness on the tongue.
M- a pleasantly thin feel with good carbonation bubbles
O- the reddish pink hue gives it a very inviting appeal. Definately a beer worth aging can only get better with time.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 01:00:23 | More by Juuroumaru

Kadonny

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a corked and caged 750 bottle into a tulip glass. 2012 version.

A: A nice rose red color with a two finger off white head. No glass lacing to speak of.

S: Loads of tart fruit with mostly raspberry smells. I get some funk on the nose too with some woody tones.

T: Nice tart flavor. The raspberries really dominate the flavor fruit wise but get coupled with a hefty funk flavor of wet hay and barnyard flavors. I didn't know this has brett in it, but obviously it does. Sourness is not overwhelming and it gets mixes with some slight sweetness, but make no bones about it this beer is a sour. Tartness lasts through the finish and it remains very dry. Alcohol is slightly noticeable, but no where near the 11.4 listed. Amazing beer, a tremendous wild ale.

M: Medium, tart, dry with very little alcohol noticed. Nice carbonation.

O: A tremendous beer, the fruit and funk mix nicely to make a very enjoyable experience. Not quite a top notch sour, but pretty damn close.

I loved this beer, I'm going to go out and try to buy some more bottles. I'd love to see how the brett progresses a year from now. Buy this if you see it.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 12:55:14 | More by Kadonny

BilbosNuts

California

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to mjw52 for hooking me up with this one in a trade eons ago.

Poured from a 750mL bottle (2011 batch) into a tulip.

A: Pours a murky garnet color that is closer to brown. A thin, white head sits on top and stays there throughout. There are small bubble streams of carbonation giving it a not-so-still appearance.

S: The raspberries have held up superbly. There is a tartness that stings the senses. A significant boozy aspect comes through at the end.

T: Nearly identical to the aroma with tart raspberries and an ample boozy finish. The "funkiness" is more noticeable in the taste than the aroma, giving the beer that lovely wild ale characteristic.

M: Medium to light bodied, a slight alcoholic burning finish, but overall pretty easy to drink. Moderate carbonation tingles the palate and allows the tartness to have a lingering effect.

O: While this beer may not be in the upper echelon of wild ales, it is quite tasty and incredibly easy to drink for such a high ABV. Count this one as another offering from Weyerbacher that has impressed me.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 02:13:32 | More by BilbosNuts

joefuzz

New York

4.4/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

2012 vintage Pours deep pink with a small bone white head. Smells like chambord raspberry liquor with a slight bit of funk. Taste is dominated by fresh tasting raspberry with a slight tartness, not super sour with a little bit of the barrel..reminds me a lot of blushing monk. Carbonation is on the higher side with light body. I have no idea why I passed on this bottle so many times..so glad I pulled the trigger and bought one.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2013 01:56:15 | More by joefuzz

mahak213

New York

3.54/5  rDev -10.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

2011 vintage poured into a HF stem-

Appearance- Clear, deep, dark red with an ever so slightly pink head that fizzles away quickly to a thin ring

Smell- Smells great. Sweet raspberries are very prevalent on the nose, with a nice funkiness behind that. Not too complex, but pretty solid

Taste- Starts off nicely with sweet and sour raspberries, but then things go downhill. Sweet raspberries move on to a very detracting medicinal flavor and then finishes with a big alcohol bite that's just out of place

Mouthfeel- Light and fizzy body that leaves a slightly sticky coating

Overall- Way to medicinal and just doesn't work well at all. Pretty disappointed with this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2013 00:58:09 | More by mahak213

danpam1024

Florida

3.13/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

This is my personal opinion and may not be a fair reflection of what may be in fact a great "American Wild Ale". However, through this sampling I've discovered I'm not a fan of sour or high carbonation ales. Loved the smell though...

Others may rate this much higher if this type of beer is up their alley. Unfortunately, this style was overpowering and just not for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 12:48:54 | More by danpam1024

Jonada

New Jersey

4.29/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

2012 vintage. 750ml bottle. Served in a Russian River stemmed glass

Appearance: Bright ruby red color. Slightly hazy with lots of visible carbonation. A slightly aggressive pour yielded about a finger of a slightly off white/pinkish head that dissipated almost instantly to a thin collar.

Smell: Sour cherries, raspberries, lemon, a surprising amount of funk, oak. Smells really sour!

Taste: Not as sour as the aroma would have you think. The sourness is still on the high side, but not mouth puckeringly so. As for the flavors, I'm getting raspberry, stone fruits, lactic notes, green apple, and some light funk

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, creamy mouthfeel. Carbonation on the lower end of medium. Nice lingering sour finish. If this is 11.4% abv, you don't taste it.

Overall: Excellent american sour. I can't believe this just sits on shelves in some places. It doesn't get the hype that some of the more popular popular sours get, but it's nearly every bit as good.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2013 04:51:39 | More by Jonada

gr0g

New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle, 2012 version. Hazy, reddish-amber in color. The two-finger head has a pink hue and lasts for a bit, but then fades without a trace. On the nose there's a great blend of fruit and wild ale funk. Ripe raspberry jam at the forefront. Some dank and musty cellar notes. After a bit, a tannic and woody character emerges. Great aromatic complexity.

Flavor is tart, with a good amount of raspberry fruit character to stand up to it. I can't believe that this is around 11% ABV -- it doesn't seem like it could be anywhere near that on the palate. Pleasant oaky smoothness in both the flavor and texture.

Pricey but worth the money. The great balance between fruit and funk is right up my alley, and it isn't at all boozy given the high ABV. Along with Insanity, this is the best I've had from Weyerbacher.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 23:27:10 | More by gr0g

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

750 mL bottle poured into a Cigar City snifter. 2012 bottle.

Appearance - Deep red body with a little bit of a cream head. No retention at all. Just some bubbles popping at the surface. Lifeless shortly thereafter.

Smell - Strong raspberry. Mishmash of acidic flavors. Doesn't seem to be the cleanest of sours, but the raspberry flavor is nice. Slight funk to it, too.

Taste - Lots of tart raspberry. Another mishmash of sour flavors. A bit of mustiness and malt in the back as well as some raspberry sweetness. Strong oak in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Medium heavy. No booze, but lots of residual sugar. Medium carbonation despite its appearance.

Overall - Great fruit character but not without its flaws in the sour category. That said I've enjoyed my sizable pour of this.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 23:38:01 | More by Alieniloquium

kangarooAdam59

Maine

3.99/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber shared with Myrik:

2011 edition

In a snifter:

A: moderate to dark brown colored body, two finger white foamy head dies within a minute, minimal amount of lacing, yeast falls to the bottom

S: tart cherries and raspberries, slight wildberries in there as well, woody from the oak barrels - really subdued

T: sour/tart, starts sweet, but as it warms, it gets more sour/tart

M: medium, carbonation slightly felt, not that sessionable, strong sour/tart aftertaste and finish

O: wow, this is good for its style, the sour/tartness really gets stronger as the beer warms, if you like AWA's, get this if you see it, as for me, I will try to seek more AWA's to get a good grasp on how these compare

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 18:54:40 | More by kangarooAdam59

match1112

Illinois

3.39/5  rDev -14.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

2011 vintage

pours a beautiful raspberry puree color. with no back lighting the body still captures all the light in the room and has a brightness to it. thin off white head settles just as quickly as it rises.

nose is very big yet simple. nothing but freshly crushed raspberries.

taste is more like juice and vodka than a beer. tasty yet simple.

mouthfeel is very wine like, cheap syrupy wine. little burn in the back of the throat from the alochol.

gets better as it warms. i would of been better off waiting till i had someone to share with. not that it's bad, it's just a little too much for me. hopefully it keeps for a day in the fridge.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 04:00:16 | More by match1112

shigg85

Japan

4.44/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bought a bottle somewhere in Pennsylvania with no label on it because Weyerbacher labels are cheap and fall off. An amazingly beautiful wild ale with some kind of CRAZY funk smell that i'm not sure I enjoy, but is definitely interesting to postulate about. Wonderful sour raspberry flavor and a strong alcohol presence. Overall, a great wild ale, but that smell is something to reckon with. Try it only if you can truly handle wild ales!

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 23:17:26 | More by shigg85

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.21/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

First had: bottle won at a Monk's raffle
2010 vintage, consumed Dec. 2012.

Poured a ruby-mahogany color, clear at first, hazier as it got closer to that huge trub layer on the bottom of the bottle. A few stray bubbles formed on the pour, but there was no real head to speak of. Aroma loaded with raspberry and funky grass. Blast of raspberry up front in the taste, very sour, with a saliva-inducing acetic acid sensation, though lacking any pulverizing vinegar flavor, underlying berry and malt sweetness, oak and earth mid- to end-palate, with a slight, subtle grassiness in there that is mostly overwhelmed by the tartness of the raspberries. Kind of hard to believe that this had been mellowing out for two years, because it still packed a mean punch. Contrary to some other reviews of this, I can't really say anything bad about the beer...I thought it was great. Medium body, low carbonation, lacking a bit in crispness, but nonetheless, a great sour beer overall. I guess the ABV at 8-10%, and apparently I was wrong.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2012 20:39:38 | More by Rifugium

BeerGut4Life

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Vintage 2011

Deep maroon in color and quite murky with some visible sediment. Even a vigorous pour musters only the faintest whisper of head, leaving minimal lacing.

A nice mix of raspberries and cherries in the nose. A little bit of red wine vinegar, some oak and funk. No trace of alcohol, surprisingly, despite the high ABV.

Taste is all raspberry jam up front and very sour with a nice level of doughy sweetness muted just enough to keep it out of sweet tart candy territory. Gets a little musty in the finish and even faintly metallic, which bothered me at first, but I grew to like it. Again, the alcohol is incredibly well-masked.

Mouthfeel is fuller-bodied and a bit less carbonated than other sours I’ve had. Not a bad thing…seems to suit this one.

Very interesting and enjoyable overall. It really grew on me the more time I spent with it. Kinda reminded me of a raspberry kolachky...only sour. And liquid.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 16:51:45 | More by BeerGut4Life

jmarsh123

Indiana

2/5  rDev -49.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Vintage 2010

Pours murky amber with just a thin ring of head from a vigorous pour. No retention or lacing.

Aroma features nail polish remover with some slight raspberry and oak undertones. Smells like pure acetone.

Flavor unfortunately is similar. This beer tastes almost exactly like when I got curious and took a sip of my roselare starter. Acetone overpowers any other flavors in this although if I try hard, I can find the raspberry hidden under the pure vinegar. Also finishes with a weird metallic aftertaste.

Medium to full bodied. Alcohol is hidden fairly well. I would not have guessed this ABV. Dry and oaky finish.

This was a disaster. Not sure if it's the age or if this is just a bad beer, but as someone who usually loves extreme sour and puts vinegar on pretty much everything, it's too much for me. A big disappointment considering how much I love Rapture as well.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2012 14:07:26 | More by jmarsh123

merc7186

New York

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a bomber into tulip glass.

A: Hazy Ruby Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head, Mild Lacing

S: Raspberry, Mild Sour Mash

T: Bitter Raspberry, Red Plum, Bitter Apple

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Mildly Bitter

Overall, a nice fruity sour, hides the boozy taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 01:13:24 | More by merc7186

MicroBeerMan1980

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Vintage 2010
A: Amber-red and slightly murky. No head, as to be expected.

S: Raspberries, cider vinegar, oak and tons of funk.

T: Tart and acidic doesn't begin to describe this beer. Sharp tannins, sour raspberry funk and oak all combine to make this a delectable wild ale. There are some notes of vanilla and caramel in there. NOTE TO FIRST TIME DRINKERS OF THE Riserva '10: After the first pour, I immediately noticed a metallic taste on the finish. It turned me off at first, but I decided to let beer breath outside of the bottle for about 10 minutes, and that made a world of difference.

M: Tangy, acidic and full bodied. Tart and round. Big on the palate.

O: A great sour wild ale. If you can get this vintage, I recommend it. I've heard good things about the other vintages as well, but this wasn't too shabby.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 03:09:24 | More by MicroBeerMan1980

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a corked & caged bottle into a Duvel tulip. 2010 (IE, the really really sour one) vintage

A- pours a murky reddish brown with no head at all, and the uncorking had a minimal pop. At least the warning label says "this isn't carbonated well". I'll give them credit for that at least

S- tons of raspberry coming through, and the sourness actually burns my nostrils a little bit. Never had that happen before...

T- the sourness almost burns my throat, it's that intense. Tons of raspberry coming through. But my god, the sour...it almost doesn't taste natural

M- thin bodied, as expected

O- I mean....Weyerbacher did throw a label on this saying it was more tart than ever. The acidity is off the charts. It's not an overly pleasurable experience though, because the beer comes off as very one-dimenstional. A disappointment.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 00:14:42 | More by bigfnjoe

AwYeh

California

2.85/5  rDev -28.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

2011 bottling poured into tulip glass.

A: Pours a very foggy dark pink color; appears very creamy and viscous with a thin white coating of head topping off the glass. Some sediment sinks to the bottom of my glass while what appear to be raspberry seeds float atop it.

S: A big, rich, overripe raspberry smell controls things here- it's very intense. Fermented fruit provides a damp mustiness, while yeast and oak round the smell out.

T: Raspberry flavors- both sour and sweet- are most noticeable here, with the flavor becoming more tangy on the beer's finish. Oak and a light vanilla complement the sweet berry flavors. The aforementioned mustiness and a considerable dose of alcohol strengthen as the beer warms, and unfortunately along with them comes a metallic flavor which dominates the beer's flavor at the end of the glass. My opinion of the taste really changed over the course of my serving, unfortunately going downhill near the end.

M: Medium to thick body, with light carbonation and a sticky finish.

O: Riserva is a strange and interesting beer; while I prefer most of the other sours I've had to date, it was a good experience to try such a big one, in terms of ABV and body. It's considerably less sour than most other wild ales (or lambics, geuezes, etc.), and unfortunately the metallic flavor put a damper on my enjoyment of it.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 19:14:06 | More by AwYeh

Jesse13713

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Most difficult beer to open in the entire world. A huge thanks to Aw Yeh for splitting this me.

Appearance - Lots of raspberry seeds floating around. A deliciously tart and acidic looking beer. A nice white and foamy ring around the beer, though there was really no head on the pour and obviously no retention. A bit of caramel-brown hue behind all of the red berries.

Smell - Smells lightly sour, but not overpowering. Tart raspberries. The berries are really overpowering here. Lots of wild yeast.

Taste - Definitely a complex taste that I was not expecting. This beer packs a huge punch with its 11.4 percent ABV. A huge alcoholic backing full of wild yeast and earthy notes on top of a delicious sour balloon of raspberry puree. A nice lemony punch behind the whole thing. Complex.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability - A nice smooth, yet tart, burn throughout the entire body. The wild yeast is intense and gripping. The ABV is very well balanced, though. Gets a little metallic after a few drinks.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2012 03:12:39 | More by Jesse13713

ChadQuest

Illinois

1.48/5  rDev -62.7%
look: 1 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

2010 bottle i believe.

I think this beer was aged in many small acetone cans. You can not convince me otherwise.
Redish brown color and no head, this thing was decapitated.
The nose is like acetone, just cuts the fruit apart. Bleh.
The raspberries are hard to find under the nail polish mess, some oak, it is sour and acidic, but still a terrible beer.

Run away.

Serving type: bottle

07-18-2012 19:00:51 | More by ChadQuest