All About Beer Magazine

Some things just sound too good! Imperializing a Berliner Weisse sounds like putting a V-8  in a VW Bug! Ah but don’t be hasty. The folks at New Belgium Brewing Co. are indeed artisan craftspeople. A recent entry into their Lips of Faith program (a series of small productions of bottled beer dedicated to stretching the boundaries of craft beer), three kegs of Imperial Berliner Weisse found their way to North Carolina recently. I got the second pour from a keg at Tyler’s Taproom. Now, I confess I’m not a fan of the original style. There’s a reason you’re suppose to add syrup. It’s one dry, sour, lactic beer. The phrase “redolent with green apples” kept rolling around in my head. It poured appropriately cloudy, with a nice tight head that never left. The remainder was green apples; in aroma and in the finish. The weight seems to hold the sour back. The 7 percent alcohol keeps everything together. It was rich, light and very pleasurable… I enjoyed a second pint!