Berliner Weissbier

I like a good Berliner Weisse, but my options in the middle of the US are quite limited. I had my first Berliner Weisse in Berlin back in 2006 when I was living in Germany. It wasn't my favorite style at first, I tended to stick with Wiezens and really despised Radler, but Berliner Weisses grew on me. When I moved back to the states the closest thing I could find locally a summer seasonal Shandy, and I'm really not that keen on ginger... A friend of mine from Berlin recently came to visit and brought a bottle of Berliner Kindl with him. I was elated to say the least.

I've been to Berlin. Yes, they make a big deal about the Berliner Weiss style. It's been four years since I've had one so my recollection of what today's modern Berliner Weissbiers taste like might be a little hazy. I bring that up because this beer, brewed by Dr. Fritz Briem at Brauerei Weihenstephan, is specifically labeled a "1809 Berliner Weisse" ...so I'm going to assume my 2006 Berliner Weisse tasted a bit different. What I do remember of the Berliner Weiss is a sweeter than sour fruit character in a light bodied wheat beer. That vague memory set my expectations pretty well, because that's what this 1809 Berliner Weisse is like, but there is a whole lot more to it...

Dogfish Head's Festina Pêche sounds like it'd be a one trick fruit beer. Judging by the name and this beer's label you'd expect it to be something like Pyramid's Apricot Weizen. That isn't necessarily meant as a dig to either beer, I like Pyramid's Apricot quite a bit. Like many fruit beers though, it's just that... a beer with some fruit in it, nothing terribly special. The Festina Pêche is a bit different than other fruit beers because it is based off of the Berliner Weissbier style that is quite unique. A stock Berliner Weisse is very tart like a hard cider. Dogfish Head took the Berliner Weissbier and added their peaches to that to create an even more unique beer.