What We're Drinking and Thinking - Berliner Weisse
A few nights ago, we tasted Berliner Weisse, a Tart Cherry
Beer from North Coast Brewing, Co. out of Fort Bragg, CA. I purchased this beer
as an impulse buy. I was at CostCo picking up some steaks to kick off the warm
weather. I grabbed some rib eyes just in case you were wondering. Paired them
with Brussels sprouts, asparagus, grilled corn, and fried mashed potatoes. The
GF was out of town, so I was on my own to feed myself, and I bought enough
steak to do so for the entire weekend.
But, on to the beer…
It’s a Berlin White, which Michael Jackson described as
having an, “insistent sparkle, fragrant fruitiness in the nose, a sharp dry
palate, and a frisson of quenching, sour acidity in the finish.” With an ABV of 4.1% it’s an easy drink. They only release a very limited amount of these in the 22
oz bottle I picked up and also offer in 1/6th barrel kegs. It was rather easy to find considering Costco has a relatively small beer selection. While they do say it's limited release, I believe it's year round.It’s made
with the juice of Michigan Montgomery Cherries that, “Softens the lactic finish
and gives it a spring time blush”. Which is interesting because I wasn’t aware
there were different types of Montgomery cherries, or Michigan cherries either…
We use a 5 point scale here at the blog, similar to the BJCP method or Untappd. We break our scores down into five separate categories and judge independently for each. Here's what we thought of the beer.
Aroma: 1.15 - Distinct aroma that almost reminds you of cherry pie.
Flavor: 1.5 - Tastes like cherry pie. Tart, sweet, and sour all at once. Like a cherry jolly rancher. Yet at same time you can taste the roasted malts. Did I already say cherry pie?
Texture: .15 - Sparkly... Not very smooth. Took away a bit for me, but some people might like it. You can feel the sugars on your teeth after each drink.
Appearance: .35 - I really struggled here. I loved the excellent rosy shade. The reddish amber color really helped me feel like spring was finally here. Very little head.
Balance: .75 - It works well together, a bit sweet, but blends all components well.
Total Score: 3.9
The Cherry Tartness was a great finish, and while this beer would be equally good by itself playing bocce on the yard, if I were getting this beer again, I’d rather pair it with a basket of fish and chips. I was glad I picked this up as spring is here and it looked and sounded like springtime. I’m also quite partial to Sour beers, and I’ve never had this one before. I would definitely get this again, however, I did feel like brushing my teeth afterwards.