Pipeworks Cranpire Christmas

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle (Batch #58) bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013  (bottled sometime in 2012?)

Style/ABV: Berliner Weisse, 4.0% 
Reported IBUs: ?

Continuing with our lazy Sunday on this lovely 3-day weekend, I have a random shelf turd from Pipeworks that will further cement my appreciation for their Berliners. I've had their infected Blue Lady, not infected Blue Lady, Flower Child, and Well Read Temptress. Today, I'm knocking out the Cranpire. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. The goal is to release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

The back of the Cranpire Christmas reads:

Pipeworks Cranpire Christmas

"A Berliner Style Weisse aged on 200 lbs of fresh Cranberries from Weatherby's Farm, WI, our new Cranpire Christmas really sucks. When invited in, this little undead homemaker is sure to stay for a holiday feast. Here at Pipeworks, we know family gatherings can be a dangerous adventure, luckily, the spirit of the holidays is in our blood..."

The beer pours a hazy, pink color, with some hints of salmon-orange. It looks like pink lemonade. The beer kicks up a finger of hazy, white head. The head settles into a hazy, white, sea foam. It looks like a Berliner/Saison, only with that pink lemonade soda twist.

I'm not getting a lot on the aroma...there's a lot of lactic acid, acid, watery tartness, and some light cheesy funk.

This tastes really solid, with big griping tartness up front, tannin from the cranberry, light wood/woody tartness, fruity and tart lemons, and noticeable fruity and tart cranberry. At 4.0%, this finishes clean and tart...very mild and light funk. 

I know a lot of people aren't huge fans of the Pipeworks Berliners, but I really enjoy them for their straightforward flavors and nice tartness. The Cranpire Christmas has to be the least funky of the Pipeworks Berliners. I'm not getting a ton of cheese or funk in the taste, just lots of lactic acid, and woody tannins. This is a light-bodied beer with lots of tannin and tartness. Palate depth is great, complexity is good. You get tannins and wood up front, with kisses of lemons and cranberry; that rolls into watery and refreshing cranberry, with lactic acid; the back end is lactic, wood, dry/refreshing tartness. Nice.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I gotta go with a Strong Divine Brew on this. This may be my new favorite Berliner from Pipeworks. The cranberries compliment this style perfectly. You don't get any of the funk/cheese from the Blueberries, or the sweetness from the Raspberries. This is tart, woody, and has a subtle cranberry flavor that is reminiscent of real cranberries (not that fake shit that comes out in a cylinder from a can). This is good stuff, and I would pair this beer with a fruity dessert, a bread pudding, or a cheese/fruit/meat tray. 

Random Thought: I think we can squeeze one more tasting session into this lazy Sunday...no?