BLOG: MK SD's Berliner Weisse Will Make You Blush
Mikkeller Brewing has created a quaffer with surprising depth of flavor: ‘Raspberry Blush,’ A Berliner-style Weisse Beer brewed with raspberries and…coffee?
Tuesday evening may not seem like the most adventurous timing. This would be a fair critique of my lifestyle. Regardless, I found myself existing on a Tuesday evening (as I so often am), craving something new.
Weeks ago I picked up this can from a local shop. I love a good Weisse beer; I love a good fruit beer. What I received was somehow both without really fitting the mold of either.
Mikkeller came about as a passion project in the spirit of collaboration. The founders joined forces to embrace the best of traditional European brewing and passionate West coast craft brewers. These are fresh, cool beers, that have been brewed with a love and knowledge of the history and traditions of beers. Really, what more can we ask for as beer lovers?
My first impression of this beer in the glass? Pure delight. The color is baffling! You can see it in the photo above, but it hardly does justice to the brilliant hue. As I poured, there was no head and tiny bubbles—more effervescent than fully carbonated. Once the glass was (very) full I was mesmerized, yet again, by saturated the sunset of orange-pink.
It smelled bright and easy. There was a margarita-like quality, but it didn’t come from alcohol. I was transported to a patio on the water. Honestly, while smelling the citrus, tequila, grassy notes of the beer, I had no idea what was to come.
I had forgotten, in my haste to “run a blog” and “get a photo” and “not let the beer fall off my fire escape” that the beer had even been brewed with coffee. So, my first sip is sort of a wash of confusion. But, what I did taste was completely singular.
I’ve worked in the beverage industry for four years, and it isn’t often that I’m surprised by a first sip. Delighted? Sure! Disgusted? Absolutely. But, surprise? Doesn’t happen often. And good surprised? Even less.
From that first sip, I remember confirming the smell of margarita: there were the tell-tale flavors of lime, smoke, and salt. But there was also a chocolatey, dessert flavor. My pallet expected a skittle and bit right into a chocolate-covered coffee bean.
From there, the beer opens up. Wow. The lemon/lime citrus gives way to the red-fruited acidity of rasperries. The chocolate and coffee are calmed by the herby-hops. There’s creaminess in the texture and taste. You could have this beer instead of dessert after a steak dinner. It is a bit like a java-lava cake with raspberry compote—all in a sip.
This beer is truly, singularly, uniquely delicious. It’s not an everyday beer, that’s for sure. But, if you are a lover of tradition and experimentation—you have to try this. Mikkeller Brewing has a new convert on their hands—I’ll pick up every can I see from them.
Next time you want to take a little trip on a Tuesday evening—do it.
Cheers!
4% alk/vol
Brewed and Canned by Mikkeller SD in San Diego, CA.