Snarling Badger Berliner Weisse - Grand Teton Brewing Co.

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.44/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Had at a recent bottle share.

Slightly hazy golden-yellow pour, with a large, fizzy, white head that receded to a thin layer of bubbles, leaving some dissipating lacing on the glass. Quite wheaty in the nose, lemongrass, yeast. in the taste, lightly toasted wheat, grass, yeasty sourdough, light touches of lemon and under-ripe banana. Not amazingly flavorful or distinctive, but still pretty crisp and refreshing. Light-medium and fairly enjoyable, but I wouldn't exactly call it exemplary of the style. However, on drinkability alone, I wouldn't mind revisiting this one, preferably on a hot summer day.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 10:22:56 | More by Rifugium

ngeunit1

California

4/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Slightly hazy golden-orange with a finger of frothy white head. Fades fairly slowly.

S - Sweet wheat and grainy malts, funky yeasts, sourness, lemon zest, tart green fruits, bit of oak.

T - Sweet grainy and wheat malts, funky yeasts, some tart green fruits, lemon zest, and some light oak and vanilla.

M - Medium-minus bodied with moderate carbonation. Smooth with a funky and tart finish.

D - Nicely balance berliner weiss. Could have used a bit more kick.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2013 07:13:46 | More by ngeunit1

ESPNman

California

3.15/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served into a large wine glass (hey, I need to do some dishes... don't judge me)

A - Pours a cloudy straw yellow, leaning slightly towards orange. Develops a nice finger of thick white head, great retention, solid lacing. Overall, the appearance of this beer is the best part of it.

S - Surprisingly sweet. Some hay, funk, and vague barnyard in there... but for the most part it's overwhelmed by fruity, almost artificial sweetness. Not much in the way of sourness that I'd expect from the style. Slight oak.

T - Once again, this wouldn't be too bad as a hefeweizen, but it's not supposed to be a hefe. Lots of Belgian yeast flavors, cloves and bananas present. A bit of tart and funk, and then that artificial sweetness from the nose.

M - Solid carbonation, but overly thick for the style. Not as refreshing and slightly tart as I'd like. The more it warms up, the more the mouthfeel seems to be a detractor from the beer as a whole.

O - Not a bad beer, but not something that I'd offer up as an exceptional example of the style. Too sweet, too boozy, and not enough tart. If they toned down the booze a bit and highlighted some of the good portions of the beer, this would make a solid hefeweizen.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 02:50:08 | More by ESPNman

beagle75

Iowa

3.2/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a half-pint chalice.

A: Hazy, medium golden color with one finger of off-white foam head. Light lacing remains on the glass and a few streams of fine bubbles rise in the column.

S: Bready at first, although fading to reveal more pure sourness and bright green apple fruit.

T: Begins off-dry, with fermented grain and almonds amidst very restrained generic tartness. There is an artificial sweetening trend during the middle to leave a bit of plastic to linger alongside a finish of bright acidic stone fruit.

M: Thin to medium viscosity, soft and slightly acidic on the palate, with moderate carbonation.

D/O: This beer struggles with a crisis of identity--it comes across like a Belgian strong golden ale that someone forgot to add the Belgian yeast to. It also reminds of Dogfish Head's line of generic strong ales. In either case, it seems less special for being a stronger version of a traditional style. Lesson hopefully learned, Grand Teton--just because you call it something on the label, doesn't make it so.

Note: The syrah barrel-aged version of this beer sampled at FoBAB was not just improved over the base beer, but truly made special.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 02:35:20 | More by beagle75

OtherShoe2

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours cloudy medium orange with a big foamy head with nice clingy lace. Pretty beer.

Sweet fruit and an edge of tartness and wood in the nose. Berliner Weisse?

If tasted blind, I'd say this is more like a belgian pale ale. Some fruit, alcohol, wood, vanilla, funk, light sour, and some bitterness. In essence, a mess. Way too sweet to be a berliner weisse, but maybe this needs to lay down for a while. Still, uneven. Not undrinkable, but hardly what I would call a version of the style.

Medium bodied, needs better carbonation.

Not bad. Some wood and funk make this ok, but I'd never buy this again.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 00:03:03 | More by OtherShoe2

sweemzander

Illinois

2.95/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

750mL bottle poured into a tulip.

(A)- Pours a hazy golden yellow/orange color. Produced a really nice head of white froth. Solid retention behind it and some good lacing left behind.

(S)- A nicely tart lemon peel and subtle bits of wheat and biscuit. Ever so slightly sweet.

(T)- Its kind of like a cross between a pretty good hefeweizen with a little tartness. Stronger in the clove, wheat, and banana with a little tartness to it, so a tad different for the style, but not completely disappointing.

(M)- A crisp carbonation level. An ok balance for a hefe, but this is supposed to be a berliner weisse. The subtle tartness this has does help, but that quickly fades as it warms.

(O)- Overall, not quite fitting the style, but for a $8 750mL, its not too bad when berliner weisse's are not all the common to find. I enjoyed it, but it does fall short of the style itself.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2012 22:00:18 | More by sweemzander

Braseltonage

Missouri

3.65/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours deep golden straw. Lovely even haze, very effervescent with large bubbles. Thick white head which dissipates pretty quickly to a less than super clingy lacing.
Fresh lemon zest, some acidic notes. Pungent aroma, but having a hard time placing the specifics. Seems as though you can smell a little of the funkiness to come.
First sip starts out surprisingly sweet. Some nice grainy wheat character, bigger on the palate than might have expected. But then the pucker sneaks in. Quite pronounced lactic kick in the finish. Makes what seems like is going to be a much bigger beer dry out and quench at the end.
An interesting beer. Not sure if it nails being a true Berliner-weisse but I really enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 13:52:37 | More by Braseltonage

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poor execution. I would expect more of a sourness and lower abv from the style. Yeasty and some sour fruit aroma. Cloudy deep yellow. Boozy. Only a little tartness, should be fruity sourness or significant lactic. So-so drinkability.Medium mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 03:37:26 | More by northyorksammy

beergoot

Colorado

3.93/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Faintly cloudy, light gold color with a rich, thick, white head; lots of effervescence, great lacing. Slightly sour aroma counterbalanced with a light malt background; freshly mowed grass. Excellent sweet/sour combination; citric with a nice hop bitterness counterbalance; tart. Light bodied, clean, crisp and dry.

A very nice Berliner weissbier; well-crafted. Carbonation adds a lot to the overall body and the flavors combine well, producing a great summer-time beer (although I'm sipping this one on a nice, mild mid-Fall afternoon). I guess I wish I had a better recollection of my beer drinking days in Berlin itself (back in the mid-80s) in order to properly compare style, but based upon most Berliner weissen descriptions I've seen, this one hits on all points.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 22:51:34 | More by beergoot

KajII

North Carolina

3.6/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

[Suggested Glassware: Bowl or Chalice]

The pour was a light hazy orange with an average (1-2 finger) white creamy head that was mostly diminishing, down to a thin puddled film with a small collar and had really good sheeting of lacing.

The aroma was of a light grain malt and a musty Belgian Brett yeast with notes of citrus (lemon), green apple and a hint of coriander.

The taste was sweetly tart with a good strong dose of citrus from the onset, becoming rather yeasty and bit fruity with a tart and mildly spicy finish. The flavor lasted and average duration following the swallow with a nice sour citrusy flavor left behind.

Mouthfeel was right in between light and medium in body with a creamy and slightly dry texture and a prickly carbonation.

Overall this was a really flavorful brew with lots of sweet fruitiness and a bold yeasty tart ending...

http://www.facebook.com/KAJIIsBeerReviews

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 14:44:10 | More by KajII

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.18/5  rDev -39.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Had this at the Reno Whole Foods tap room. Poured out, light yellow, mega hazy, pristine virgin like white head on it, about .67" in height. Aroma, whoa, too much perfume, clove and otherwise what seemed like belgian yeast moreso than a German hefe. Good German berlinner's don't smell like this, why should this one?

Taste, jeez, same thing, the mild tartness and wheat is overcome by clove, banana and just a general perfume like taste to the beer. The alcohol is way too high for style, and the taste buds too. This beer needs more tartness, sourness, more of a grist wheat mouthfeel, the correct yeast strain, no clove, no banana, some lemon, just not that heavy yeast presence, less alcohol.

For me, this was an abomination of one of my favorite styles.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2012 23:45:57 | More by Beerandraiderfan

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

3.83/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Purchased at Smith's Liquor in Rapid City, drank 4 months later.

When I poured it into my perfect pour glass I was impressed with the carbonation shooting up from the base that resembled boiling water. The opaque yellow color is intriguing. It smelled of citrus, flowers, a touch of wheat and pepper. The taste was similar with a lightly sour twinge that seems to lighten as the glass warms up. I haven't had this style before so I don't have anything to compare it to, but the body seems good.

This was a vacation splurge with no research. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to get another one, but it's decent.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 23:32:02 | More by DesMoinesMike

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.53/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

AGED REVIEW

Bottled 3/26/12, stored at ambient basement temperature in hopes of amplifying lacto tartness.

Result:
MISSION INCOMPLETE.

I've run out of the last of my bombers of this one without achieving a solid lacto tartness. I've observed only about a 20% increase in tartness presence over the course of six months. Given the rate of progression, I'd estimate that this one should be aged for a year or even longer.

The good news is that no particular aspect of the beer has oxidized or fallen apart in any way at all, and despite not being quite as sour as other Berliner Weisses, the underlying weisse base is competently assembled and delicious enough to be enjoyed as a simple weizen with a splash of light tartness *as is* without issues.

It's still very much a gentle beginner's version of a Berliner Weisse, and it *is* gradually souring. Only not as quickly as I had anticipated, and I'm all out of bottles. Some other BA member will have to pick up this torch from here. Just wait longer than I did to pop the last bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 01:58:34 | More by WastingFreetime

DavoleBomb

Ohio

2.93/5  rDev -18.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured into a perfect pint. 2012 vintage.

3.5 A: Moderately hazed dark yellow color. Two fingers of frothy/fizzy white head that falls quickly and leaves just a few whisps of lacing.

3.0 S: It doesn't smell bad, but it's missing many of the things I love about the style. Foremost, it isn't tart in the nose at all. It smells more like an APWA. Secondarily, it's got a lot of bready yeastiness which prevents it from smelling refreshing if that makes sense. Peppery spiciness, surprisingly potent wheat, and bready yeastiness.

3.0 T: Like the nose, the taste is muddled by yeast. There's a bit of funk, but again lacking tartness. Spicy peppery yeastiness, breadiness, and wheat. Again it tastes like an APWA.

3.0 M: Medium body. Not light and refreshing, which is something I like about the style. Rather, it's dense and chewy. I can't ding it too much though as it goes down easy enough.

2.5 D: They need to rethink this beer or stop calling it a BW. It's not bad (it's not good either), but it's not what I wanted.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 23:18:57 | More by DavoleBomb

jsanford

Georgia

3.38/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy yellow-orange with a very dense white head that settles to a 1/2 inch cap. Nice lactic aromas of yogurt, lemon zest, and cracked grains. Not incredibly tart smelling, but pleasant and approachable. Taste is light, with a lemon yogurt flavor that makes up most of the profile. Touch of tartness, touch of grain, but nothing new in the Berliner world. Mouthfeel is light and crisp, with a medium body and ample carbonation. Overall a decent enough Berliner, but far from my favorite example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2012 02:36:10 | More by jsanford

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Not that I've head many BWs in my day, but this one seems to be rather tame, and that don't match the Badger name.

Light golden, straw color pour. Head billows up, then settles, but still lingers.

Light aromas of peaches, apricots and florals, some lemon.

Flavor is good. While light, the heaviest flavors are banana and wheat. the tartness is very light, which is too bad. It would pep up the other flavors, imo. I bought this when it came out in the late spring. Maybe more age would help.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 17:00:51 | More by Mebuzzard

popery

California

3.75/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours medium gold with a big puffy white head. It dissipates, but there's a huge amount of bubbles at first. Color is rather dark for the style. Hazy.

Nice aroma. Reminds me of a soured saison mixed with a hefeweizen. Fresh grain with some barnyard-ish yeast and a sour tang in the background, and it's all on top of banana bread wheat. It's off-style, but it works and, despite the odd mix of flavors, doesn't even seem all that odd. Just a refreshing blend of wheat beer aromas.

Easy and tasty, but I wish there was more tang. Perhaps, that would develop with time - no idea if lacto can do that. Again, it tastes like a saison mixed into a hefe more than anything. Fairly sweet with a very light tang. There's also an odd tannic edge to the finish.

Great feel. Tons of gentle bubbles. That tannic finish isn't quite right, but it's a pleasant beer to drink.

Good stuff. Grand Teton has done a very nice job with the two Cellar Reserves that I've tried, this and the XX Bitch Creek. This beer is tasty and fun to drink. It's not terribly challenging, but you don't have to go that route to make something new and good.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 05:03:27 | More by popery

Curtis

Utah

4.3/5  rDev +19.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My wife picked this one up for me when she couldn't find my favorite Grand Teton beer "Tail Waggin' Double White". I have to admit, the name snarling badger threw me a little and I wasn't sure what to expect, but like all of their beer, I knew it would be good. It was and I have bought several since.

While this is labled "Berliner Weisse", it actually has a lot of the Belgian Wit style attributes. Much less of a citrus kick to it, but still a little without being overwhelming. It starts smooth, with a good mouthfeel, without the belgian bite to it. Nice head (pour slow or it will go over the top easily). The hops are really light as expected. Any more would ruin the balance of this well crafted beer. Color is light golden and a smooth hazy with no chunks. the finish is the best part. This goes down smooth and its a good thing it comes in 22 oz bottles or I could see a 6-pack dissapearing very quickly. The alcohol kick is pretty good at 7.5% (without the taste or smell of rocket fuel) and six of these would sneak up really quick, but make for a fun night. I really like the "not so filling" part of this style. You can drink it and enjoy it easily without being overwhelmed. I had mine with a chicken pasta. An excellant pairing.

My only complaint is distribution. I live in Utah and have only found this in one store in Wyoming (enough said). Last trip up, I bought all they had, but after a great beer conversation with the clerk, felt compelled to leave one for the guy as we had similar tastes in beer and he was curious to try it. The price was actually really good ( I think 6 dollars or so) so I had no problem cleaning out the store. I havn't made a trip yet up to their store/brewry, but it is on the agenda. Overall, excellant!

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2012 04:26:10 | More by Curtis

thagr81us

South Carolina

3.03/5  rDev -15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Steve Kim warned me not to... But I did it anyways. Served from tap into a flared pilsner. Poured a golden yellow-orange with a half finger white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained decent lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, earth, subtle fruit, floral, and wheat. The flavor was of sweet malt, earth, fruit, banana, floral, and apple cider. It had a light feel on the palate with medium carbonation. Overall this was a pretty average brew. When it arrived I thought Steve didn't know what he was talking about as it looked pretty close to your average Berliner. However, once I smelled it, I knew what he was on about. There was a HUGE earthy note going on here that make me pull back from it at first before I could inhale deeply. This kind of surprised me if I am honest. This disapated as the glass was consumed thankfully as it would have definitely gotten much lower marks. The flavor had a lot going on, but it was by no means above and average Berliner. I have had quite a few great Berliners and this one was definitely not one. Not sure if a fruit addition could help this one as there just seemed to be a lot missing that I really enjoy in a good Berliner. Glad I got to try it on tap and didn't have to buy a bottle.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 16:38:51 | More by thagr81us

womencantsail

California

3.4/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A very hazy golden orange color with a white head. Smells surprisingly sweet for a berliner. A bit of fruit, some lactic tartness, and some sort of hefeweizen like notes of clove and banana. Flavor is quite fruity with lemon, banana, and peaches. It’s also sweet, maybe a bit of honey to it. The tartness is there, but not as prominent as usual in a berlinerweiss. Sort of heavy on the palate, too.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 04:45:27 | More by womencantsail

UCLABrewN84

California

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

On tap at Churchill’s Pub & Grille in San Marcos, CA.

Pours a murky orange with a foamy off-white head that fades to nothing. Foamy dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is only slightly tart with some malt, grain, and fruity aromas. Taste is much the same with a spice flavor on the finish. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is drinkable but not a very good representation of the style in my opinion.

Serving type: on-tap

08-07-2012 01:34:16 | More by UCLABrewN84

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.55/5  rDev -29%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

22 ounce bottle - $8.99 at Sam's Beer & More in Lexington, South Carolina.

Appearance: Dark golden body, moderately clouded, with a brief but unyielding, not-quite-fizzy, white head.

Smell: All of the wheat malt aroma you would expect from a big wheat beer, with notes of clove, sugar-laced bananas, florals, and tired lemons.

Taste: Sweet with plenty viscous, creamy malted wheat flavor. Slight perceived honey taste, with a growing banana character. Pinch of clove. Low citrusy hint. Lightly acidic, very little tartness -- not nearly enough to cut through the rich wheatiness (if it weren't for the carbonation, this would be even more of a mess). Closes out nearly as sweet and wheaty as it started.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body. Medium-high carbonation.

Overall: I cannot tell you h--actually, I suppose I can tell you. I was very excited to purchase a Berliner Weisse. I was very disappointed to learn it was anything but. For a few minutes I tried to pretend it was a Belgian golden ale loaded with wheat. No dice.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 13:32:25 | More by ChainGangGuy

brentk56

North Carolina

3.2/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear golden color with a meringue of a head that leaves clumpy splotches of lace

Smell: Overripe pear, lemons and yeasty phenols; somewhat boozy

Taste: Overripe pears, lemons, wheat and yeasty phenols, up front, like a cross between a Weizenbock and boozy tripel; lactobacillus takes over, after the swallow, adding a yogurty sourness along with a bit of funk; quite boozy in the finish, with a tension between the sugars and the tart flavors

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation; warming in the gullet

Overall: Clearly not to style and I am not rating it on that basis; Weizenbocks and the sweeter end of the Tripel style are not styles I particularly like so it is no surprise that I don't particularly care for this beer; perhaps the beer will improve with some time under its belt

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 19:49:44 | More by brentk56

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Well, I am pretty sure this is my first (non home brewed) Berliner (or somewhat equivalent). A 3oz pour at Atomic Coffee, Moorhead, MN (July 27, 2012). From notes.

Hazy body that is pale yellow with a decent head and lacing. Wheat on nose with hint of fruit and butter. Citrus in body, lemon and tangerine initially with light spice notes. The citrus drops right off leaving a light lactic tartness. I wish it had more... Finishes with lingering bitterness / astringency. Seems off.

Serving type: on-tap

08-04-2012 17:59:15 | More by kjyost

ehammond1

California

2.33/5  rDev -35.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5

On Tap

Churchill's Pub & Grille
San Marcos, CA

Hazed light golden and yellow with a thin white head that leaves spots and irregular webs of lace down the glass. Pretty and appropriate for the style.

The aroma is a combination of lemon and wheat with some definite acidity and sour notes. Though there is also a bit of alcohol heat sprinting from the glass, which seems absurd for the style...but then again, this one has 7+ percent ABV. What the...?

The flavor is definitely acidic and sour with some lemon and wheat, but the syrupy mouthfeel and overall fruity sweetness is more than distracting. This is incredibly sweet--not a hallmark of the style.

Thick, syrupy, and heavy. Not good for the style. Not good, ever. Cloying, sticky, thick: not words I ever want to associate with a berliner.

A radical departure from one of my favorite styles. I will not have this again.

Serving type: on-tap

08-02-2012 18:23:34 | More by ehammond1