Daylight Saving Time, which in reality saves nothing and should be eliminated post haste, ends on Sunday which means evening darkness will descend even sooner. Along with the leaves on the ground and the nip in the air the end of DST signals that winter is close at hand. While winter beers are appearing on the shelves and soon will be the focus of this beer drinker’s desire, there’s still time for one last offering more suited to warmer climes.
Our beer this week is the first we’ve featured from White Birch Brewing in Hooksett, New Hampshire.
Welcome to White Birch Brewing, Hooksett New Hampshire’s own craft brewery. We started making beer in June of 2009 in 15 or 20 gallon batches. The advent of our first calendar year saw us go from about a half barrel a day brewing to about two barrels a day. Thanks to the continued interest in our beers we have grown to a custom seven barrel system made by Macy Industries right here in Hooksett. Yes, we’ve grown but our beer is still all brewed by hand in our modest brewery.
It’s their Berliner Weisse:
Napoleon’s troops referred to Berliner Weisse as the “Champagne of the North” due to its lively and elegant character. Today this style is described by some as the most refreshing beer in the world.
Our approach was to brew this beer with Lactobacilius for a refreshing and authentic interpretation of a classic summer refresher.
220z brown bomber bottle goes for $6.99. Simple white/tan paper label.
STYLE: Sour Wheat Ale
ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 5.5%
COLOR (0-2): Golden brown and cloudy. 2
AROMA (0-2): Sour apple. 2
HEAD (0-2): White color, light volume which fades fast. 1
TASTE (0-5): It starts out quite tart, but that sharpness fades and becomes a touch sweet at the end. Flavors of apple, cranberry, lemon, and yeast. Nicely carbonated. Light bodied and very drinkable. 3
AFTERTASTE (0-2): Lasting and rich. 2
OVERALL (0-6): Sour beers are very trendy right now. I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet as my experience with the style-while admittedly limited-has been mixed. White Birch Brewing’s Berliner Weisse makes me more willing to explore the sour side. It is very refreshing and delivers a nice flavor mix. While it retains its tart edge throughout, it mellows as it warms so I’d recommend letting it sit for a bit before you commence to sipping. 4
TOTAL SCORE (0-19): 14
