In the comments to another post, a reader asked about Beer-O-Vision’s choices for summer beery goodness. I made a quick recommendation (Anchor’s Summer Wheat), but I was already secretly plotting to write this post, so I didn’t mention a particular style of beer that I think is a great choice for the summer: Berliner Weisse, or Weiße, if you prefer. If you’ve been reading me since the days I posted on Buffalo Rising, you’ll already know of my fondness for this style from this post and from this one. The former post discusses a classic example of the style, Berliner Kindl Weisse, while the latter post is about a regional take on the style from Custom Brewcrafters of Rochester. Today, even though the local weather is somewhat less-than-summery-sun-and-heat, I’m going to discuss two other examples of the style.

First up is a German sample of the style, but take note of what the label says: Beyerisch Bahnhof doesn’t claim to make Berliner Weisse, but rather, Berliner style Weisse. Why is this? Because Bahnhof is in Leipzig and ‘Berliner Weisse’, like Kölsch and for that matter Trappist Ales, is as much an appellation as a style definition. Simply put, if you ain’t in Berlin, you ain’t brewing Berliner Weisse, nor can you market it as such- not in the EU, anyway. In the same way, real Kölsch has to come from Köln, and beers that are similar to Trappist ales but not brewed by monks are termed Abbey Ales. At the end of the day, this has more to do with marketing than anything else, but it is worth noting. The truth is that any American brewer (home- or otherwise) with skill and the right ingredients can make a credible version of a Berliner Weisse. I thought Custom Brewcrafters wasn’t bad at all, and Three Floyds in Munster, IN, does a good version of it, from what I hear; I’m still waiting to get my hands on their take.

Bahnhof’s offering comes in at 3% abv, a little stronger than Kindl which is 2.5% abv. Now, right off the bat some may scoff at these low alcohol levels, but I tell you- in the summer, you don’t want drunkenness to interfere with refreshment. Obviously, at these levels, you can nearly drink these like soda, and that’s exactly the point. Sure, if you’re very thirsty, you’ll eventually catch a buzz, but unlike, say, some kind of imperial pale ale or india pale ale, you can have more than a few of these and still drive home. In a time when ‘extreme’ beers, many extremely strong as well, are popping up all over the place, the Berliner Weisse style is a reminder that there really is more to being a beer nut then getting wasted all the time. (A hazard of the occupation, it’s true.) Session beers are definitely worth giving some time to.

As with any Berliner Weisse, Bahnhof pours out cloudy and pale; the haze (as with any weisse/weizen or wit) comes from the twin forces of proteins in the wheat and yeast sediment. It yields a good head which falls fairly quickly into the thin one seen in the photo, this persists well throughout the beer. The aroma here hints at the sourness in the flavor, but also contains a distinctive wheaty dimension and as well a fine layer of yeast-induced banana. The flavor reveals a substantial tartness married to a background of very very light malt- the sour drowns out much appreciation of the yeast flavors. Hops? What hops? The mouthfeel is soft, and carbonation is on the low side, making this very quaffable. On the whole, though, I find the sourness in this one is not quite as delicate as in Kindl, a more balanced example of the style. This one is worth knocking off your list, but when you factor in the price and the distance traveled (= freshness and likelihood of going bad), not one I’d run for. Still, I wouldn’t turn it down, either.

The next beer, though… oh my! Picture, please…

If you are into beer at all, you’d heard of and likely also drunk Dogfish Head’s beers. What an extraordinary brewery- none of their beers are boring, and very few of them miss their mark. The only ones I would describe as “interesting” (you know, in that snarky way that means “I’m not really into this, sorry”) are the Midas Touch (saffronand Aprihop (I just don’t like apricot beers). Their Festina Lente, a soured, oak-aged peach lambic, was well-praised across the boards, and this year they’ve followed up with a peach-infused Berliner-style weisse called Festina Pèche. It’s been getting some good press as well, and I think it’s certainly justified.

As with Bahnhof, Festina Pèche (jacked-up to 4.5% abv, by the way) pours out pale, though slightly darker, no doubt owing to the real peach juice used in it. A chunky white head also formed but again didn’t last, soon reduced to leaving slight lace on the glass. The nose of this beer is replete with peach, and this fruit odor blends perfectly with lactic tartness/citrus, and a muted wheat tone. It explodes on the palate with sourness on the tip and blade of the tongue, resolves to a balanced yet unmistakable peach flavor and detectable malt sweetness, and finishes up with a final whack of sour, accompanied by more peach as you swallow and aroma travels via the retro-nasal route. All throughout, the mouthfeel remains quite thin, and the carbonation just buzzes your tongue, prickling it with the sour flavors. In Berlin, Berliner Weisse is typically taken with a shot of woodruff or raspberry syrup (Schuss) to offset the sourness- this beer harkens to that custom, and succeeds marvelously at blending a peach-Schuss right in.

So there you go, two beers for summer. I got mine both at Premier, I’d be surprised if you found the German one anywhere else, but Consumers might sell you the DFH- I know I’ve seen other DFH selections there. Cheers, and enjoy! Maybe my next review should be “beers for rainy summer days!”

(This post brought to you mainly by Shellac’s new one, “Excellent Italian Greyhound,” and Battles debut LP, “Mirrors”)