Here it is New Year’s Day. I thought I might be posting about a suggestion for a Hair of the Dog. But I counted down to midnight with my kids and a bottle of sparkling apple-cranberry cider. But here’s a lighter beer that might help you make it through to the next working day.
Baderbräu’s Berliner Weiss clocks in at a low 3.6% abv. It’s a style that had nearly gone extinct in commercial production before being rediscovered by beer geeks. It uses an undermodified barley malt, plus some wheat malt, and is partially fermented with lactobacillus to create its sourness. I had previously seen suggestion to serve it in a tumbler, but most sources now show the beer being served in a wide, bowl-shaped chalice, larger than the size of the bottle, to catch excess foaming. It’s often served with a shot or tiny bottle of woodruff or raspberry syrup in case it tastes too sour.
This can pours a cloudy yellow, with a soda pop head. The smell is pretty mild, with a suggestion of zesty sour beer. That impression carries through into the taste. It has lactic sourness instead of the fruity tart of a Belgian sour, meaning a bit of curdled milk in the aftertaste. The sourness keeps the taste full, like a beer with more alcohol or malt.
Toward the end of the glass, I dropped a little bit of maraschino syrup. It made the taste much sweeter with just a short drop, but if you like sour beers too, it wouldn’t be necessary.
Note: I purchased this beer myself for review.
