Brewing a Berliner Weisse

This homebrew kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop was pretty awesome, and it gave me a chance to break away from what I know as “normal” to try something new. Berliner Weisse beer has been made for centuries and is being remade into a multitude of varieties in American beer culture.

Brewing Process

The process for this Berliner Weisse was unique in that I first mashed the grains and collected the wort, brought it to boiling, and then dropped the temperature again so I could add the lactobacillus tablet before setting it aside for four days. This process is called kettle souring and it was strange to think that I was infecting my own beer, something we try to avoid, to create a unique flavor and mouthfeel. The history of this beer is fuzzy, but this process made me wonder if the original brewers added the lactobacillus on purpose or if they found a pleasant accident when they tried their brew. Either way, history was made.

Back to brewing. 

After kettle souring for four days, I then went through with a conventional boil, added the hops, and poured it into the fermenter with the yeast, like normal. 

Final Product

I must admit, brewing a beer like this made me a little nervous considering that it was out of my wheelhouse, but shaking away the cowardice and trying something new paid off with this one. It was very light and effervescent and it was beautifully dry, making it a great palate cleanser. I would say it tasted pretty similar to some of the other Berliner Weisse beers I tried beforehand. It had a nice yellow color with a wheat beer haze, and its tartness was redolent of a homemade applesauce compared to some of the more lemony flavors I noticed in the beers I sampled. It was very tart, but surprisingly smooth, and I enjoyed every drop of this beer. 

All in all, it was easy to make and fun to drink, and I think it’s a great beer to springboard us into summer.

Cheers!

Mr. Brew