#056: Ithaca Beer Co. » Billiner Weisse (Berliner Weisse)

Last day of August calls for another Berliner Weisse...

The Brewery: Ithaca Beer Company (Ithaca, NY)
The Brew: Billiner Weisse (Berliner Weisse)
Availability: Draft Only (5-Barrel Series)
ABV: 6.0%
Rating: 8.5/10
Location: Ithaca Beer Taproom

The Story? The very day after the wonderful night of Ithaca Beer's Multihead and Voodoo Hoodoo, IB released their latest from their 5-Barrel Series - a Berliner Weisse with two optional syrups. Having just been in and a busy weekend ahead, I wasn't sure when I'd make it town to the brewery next.

Low and behold, my cousin and his immediate family would be passing through on Saturday and they were looking for a place for lunch and good beers - and kid-friendly. Kid-friendly and quality beer don't always go hand-in-hand, but I know one place they do... to the Taproom!

The Beer? Sharp, tart, and wheaty nose - all of which are directly reflections of the flavor. Immensely tart, acetic, and minerally with touches of white fruit flavors. Grainy mouthfeel. Dry and leaves the tongue with a velvety feeling. Wet up front, followed by palate wrecking tartness. None of this is criticism!

Traditionally, Berliner Weisses were too much for tourists and syrups were introduced to blend with the beer to cut the intensity. Ithaca's Billiner Weisse is touted as an "American-style", Berliner Weisse boasting a 6.0% ABV - more than twice some traditional versions - but has kept the highly acetic nature of those early beers.

Typically, I avoid decline to add syrups to my Berliner Weisse as I'm a big fan of how dry and sour some can be. That said, the raspberry and black current syrup options provided with Billiner Weisse were quite complimentary. The raspberry cut the sharpness and made the finish more refreshing. The black currant really took the cake for me, providing a less-sugar-sweet lambic taste, while keeping the velvety dry finish and complimenting the mineral, sour, and tart aspects of the initial tasting.

Overall, a solid offering. I take a lot of pride in our local breweries and it's great to see a nice homage to such a classic style right here in town. The increased ABV was effective without compromising the delicate boldness of the style.