Marz Community Brewing Company Bubbly Creek Yuzu

Brewed By: Marz Community Brewing Co. in Chicago, Illinois  

Purchased: 22oz bomber bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2015 

Style/ABV: American Berliner Weiss, 3.0%

Reported IBUs: 10

Chicago breweries have apparently hit critical mass in the past six months, so I feel obligated to try something new. About the Marz Community Brewing Company:

The Marz Community Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Chicago, Illinois. The brewery launched in 2014, and was a project started by brothers Ed and Mike Marszewski, along with a handful of professional and amateur brewers. The website credits several "members of the Colletive," including Alex Robertson, Mike Marszewski, Pete Alvarado, Johanna Wawro, Michael Freimuth, Doktor Kazys Ozelis, Eric Olson, Ed Marszewski, Mike Redwick, Malread Case, Tom Piekarz, Eli Espinoza, and Tim Lange. This is like a football team or film credit roll, and I'm sure their list of contributors will expand. The brewery's POV is that they are a collective comprised of home brewers, professional brewers, and artists, that have united to make small, artisanal batches of beer. And that's all you really need to know. For more info, check out their website or Facebook.

Marz Community Brewing Company Bubbly Creek Yuzu

The Bubbly Creek Yuzu is a Berliner Weiss-style beer brewed with yuzu. And it pours into a hazy yellow-orange body, kicking up a finger or two of that perfectly white, tightly packed, Berliner Weiss head. It's a good looking beer, with lasting carbonation.

On the aroma: a lot of mild-mannered lactic funk. The lactic notes in here include some buttery/oaky sourness sans the barrel of course, with tons of lemon, lemon tree, lemon tree leaves, wet rain, a faint pineapple note, some fruited candies, yuzu, and light wheat. This smells vibrant for a small 3.0% package.

This is actually really delicious, with simple and clean wheat, yuzu, and lemon profile, running against appreciable lactic funk. The lactic funk is well done, and there is nice griping sourness here, but it isn't too sour or too funky. 

For 3.0%, this has a surprisingly substantial body. I'd go as far as to call this medium-bodied, thanks obviously to the wheat. Despite the appreciable body, this is incredibly refreshing and drinkable. Palate depth is great for the style, and complexity is good too. There's a lot of juicy lemons and yuzu up front; the mids roll into a softer and sweeter fruit, with some candied lemon notes and wheat malts; the back end drops mad wheat notes, with some faint cracker/biscuit malts. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a nice offering from Marz, and I hope they keep this around because I would happily pick this up again. Noice. 

Random Thought: I have a bunch of Deschutes' shelf turds that I'm debating to review. 

Anderson Valley The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose

Brewed By: Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville, California 
Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Gose, 4.2%
Reported IBUs: ?

This beer was a random purchase, and not something I would normally seek out. But, at the time of buying this beer, I was sick with a cold, and I needed something in a can to bring to a party. You really can't go wrong with a low-ABV Gose, right? About Anderson Valley Brewing Company: 

The Anderson Valley Brewing Company is a brewery based out of Boonville, Cali that was founded in 1987 
by Kenneth Allen. Originally, the brewery brewed out of a 10-barrel brewhouse, until an expansion was needed to meet demands. The expanded brewhouse was built in 1996, at the corner of Highways 128 and 253, a mile from the center of Boonville. In 1998, the brewery expanded again, with construction of a three-story Bavarian-style brewhouse being completed in 2000. In 2010, the brewery was sold to Trey White, and that same year Fal Allen took over as brewmaster. For more info, check out the brewery's website or Facebook page. 

The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose is part of Anderson Valley's Highway 128 Session Series. Their traditional-style Gose is brewed with pale two-row and malted white wheat malts, finished with Bravo hops, and features a kettle soured wort.

The Kimmie, The Yink, & The Holy Gose

This is a golden, lightly hazy, but filtered looking affair. The beer kicks up two fingers of wispy, wheat-fueled, white head, and there's good lacing and lazy carb.

Having just got this beer into a glass for the first time, I'm surprised at how good it smells. There's a lot of wheat notes, floral aromas, peach, coriander, lemon sherbet, and some minerality.

This is clean and refreshing, with nice griping lemon and peach tartness, without much lactic funk. There is a refreshing, underlying tartness that drives this beer...which is fantastic. You pick up the wheat and coriander in the taste, and there's a kiss of salt and minerality.

At 4.2%, this is incredibly drinkable. This is a really well-done wheat beer that is tart and refreshing without any crazy lactic funk. If you like lactic funk, you might be a bit disappointed, but the beer makes up for it with spot-on palate duration, a light and gently carbonated mouthfeel, and pretty good complexity. This delves into sour lemons and peaches up front; rolls into some stone fruits and tropical fruits in the mids, with coriander showing up; the back end drops wheat notes, salt, light minerality, and a super clean finish. Nice.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. If you want a griping, sour wheat beer...look no further. This is clean, refreshing, and good. I might pair this with sushi tonight.

Random Thought: Somehow, my fridge is full of beer. I'm a happy camper.

Destihl Wild Sour Series: Here Gose Nothin'

Brewed By: Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works in Normal/Bloomington, Illinois
Purchased: 12oz CAN from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Gose, 5.0%
Reported IBUs: 12

Between Penrose and Destihl, Chicago's sour scene is suddenly become more tangible. And that's good for me. About Destihl: 

Destihl is a brewery (Bloomington) and brewpub (Normal, IL & Champaign, IL) based out of the Midwest. Specifically, the middle of Illinois in the middle of the United States. Daaaa midwest. The brewery was founded by CEO & Brewmaster, Matt Potts, in 2007. Like many brewery founders, Potts started out as a homebrewer, and would eventually trade his law school education and law practice for those sweet barley suds. Destihl currently brews a myriad of regular and barrel-aged beers, including an increasing portfolio of tasty sour brews. For more info, check out their website. 

Bad pun aside, the Here Gose Nothin' is a "Leipzig-Style Gose" that undergoes spontaneous fermentation, and features lactic notes of lemon, lime, and citrus. This one also has some coriander and sea salt added. 

This is a filthy wheat beer, pouring into a cloudy, hazy, unfiltered, swampy, pick-your-synonym straw/wheat color. The beer produces a finger of wheat-tinged head that is wheat beer strong. This looks to be well carbonated, and blah blah.

Destihl Wild Sour Series: Here Gose Nothin'

The aroma here is really nice, with coriander, ocean sea salt breezes, wet rain, mist, some light lactic acidity, light lemon citrus, some watermelon rind, and a little bit of wheat for good measure. This is an inviting aroma, if you're into little sour bangers.

This isn't overly sour, but it is incredibly funky. This dips into citric acid, tomatoes, tomato juice, unfiltered wheat, V8 acidity, and tons of lactic acid funk. As you dig into the wheat-acid-lactic funk fest, you can pull out some of the coriander and some of the hints of salt. It's more in line with that mist aroma, ocean breezes. As this warms up, it takes a turn towards the more creamy, with that creamy lactic funk coating. I love it.

This is light, refreshing, and incredibly drinkable. The wheat malts provide some sustenance to the body, especially as this warms up, so I would call it light-full. Palate depth is really good, and the mouthfeel here falls on the flatter side of carbonation, which just makes the lactic acid all the more funky. This is reasonably complex. Up front is lactic funk, V8 acidity, coriander and sea salt; the mids roll into more coriander and sea salt, big wheat, lactic funk; the back end gets a little creamy as this warms, and this drops citrus hints everywhere. It's well done. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd) 

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average here. I'm really enjoying this, and I would pick this up again. This is one of the best things Destihl has cranked out in a can, and the fact that it is reaching distro up in Chicago is great news for everyone. I'm not really sure if this beer is 100% true to the style, but I don't really care. More lactic wheat beers please. Thanks. 

Random Thought: I always have a hard time with food pairings for something like this. The inherent funk to this style makes me think that pairing this beer with strong cheeses or sushi might have a negative result. Maybe pair this with some Greek Food? 

Off Color Fierce

Breewed By: Off Color Brewing in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2014

Style/ABV: Berliner Weiss, 3.8% 

Reported IBUs: 3

Tonight's beer makes a strong case for why session beers rock. About Off Color Brewing:

Off Color Brewing is a brewery founded in 2008 according to their Facebook, or 2014 according to their website, or 2013 if you follow their release party and the logical timeline. It really doesn't matter, I suppose. What you need to know is that this brewery is the brainchild of former Goose Island barrel guru, John Laffler, and former Two Brothers brewer, Dave Bleitner. The duo are both graduates of Siebel, and share a passion for brewing exotic, off-color beer. For more info, check out the brewery's ABOUT page.

The Fierce is a low-ABV Berliner Weiss-style beer. This beer is brewed with Pils, Wheat, and Flaked Wheat malts; features "a little" hops; and uses some kettle souring for that slightly tart and sour note. More specifically, this features an "overnight kettle souring with our house lactobacillus culture, the wort emerges furious at what we did to it." This one is fermented with saison yeast. 

Off Color Fierce

This pours into a hazy, melon-yellow color, almost like a murky Reisling. It's hazy and well-carbonated, yielding a finger of white, fluffy head that hangs around after the pour, leaving lacing like my loser kids leave their loser friends around my house. If this mash got the clinic, it looks it. Except that it is a Berliner...the kid gloves wheat beer of soured beers.

On the aroma: big lemon, wheat, big straw, funk/barnyard, faint malts in the form of cracker/biscuit, and some nice pineapple. There's a wet rain note, and you get some of that lactic funk, with some definite sour mash coming through on the nose. 

This is fantastic, with lemon-pineapple and wet rain crashing against that lightly funky lactic mash. It's like drinking Greek Yogurt spiked with lemon. The lemon dives into notes of citrus, pineapple, maybe a dash of orange and grapefruit...it's all rounded out with some wheat and straw notes. 

The wheat malts really build as you work through this...they provide just enough density to substantiate the body, but it's light citrusy and incredibly drinkable at 3.8%. Like...it's almost a shame this comes in a 4-pack, but I know that this takes work to brew. This has great palate depth and duration for the style, and it's complex too. Up front is a nice blast of sour mash, sour lemon, lactic punch, wet rain, and big pineapple/lemon; that rolls into wet rain, wheat, straw, some more orange/grapefruit, nice attenuated citrus notes ala a white wine; the back end lays on some nice bread/cracker notes, with malts, and then finishes dry and pleasant. This is really quite nice, and super drinkable and refreshing.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this...I love this style and this is a fun, tasty brew. Would buy again. I mean really, at $9 a 4-pack...you can't go wrong with this. And the 4-pack format means you can take this to a party or barbecue and drink the whole damn thing! And you won't even get that drunk. Nice. Food pairings here include fruit salads, maybe white fish...lighter foods. Good.

Random Thought: Dat glass defect, right?

Perennial Artisan Ales Tart Hopfentea (brewed with Hopleaf)

Brewed By: Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, Missouri  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at the Sheridan 'L' Longue in Chicago, IL; 2014 (Bottled 5/2014)

Style/ABV: Berliner Weisse, 4.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

Perennial is one of the big dicks in the room thanks to their Barrel-Aged Abraxas, but these guys also make other good beers that aren't Abraxas. I think. I'm popping my Perennial cherry with a collaboration brewed with Chicago's Hopleaf...seems appropriate. About Perennial:: 

Perennial Artisan Ales is a brewery based out of St. Louis, Missouri. The brewery was founded in 2011 by Brewmaster Phil Wymore (formerly of Goose Island and Half Acre), with the help of Cory King (who is balling with Side Project). Perennial focuses on brewing Belgian and American craft inspired beers, with the addition of premium ingredients like fruits, spices, and wild yeast strains. They also have a barrel aging program, including the internal start-up, Side Project. Definitely check out their website for more info. 

The Tart Hopfentea is a collaboration brew with Hopleaf. This beer is a Berliner Weisse brewed with a tropical tea blend. The bottle reads: "A wave of tropical fruit and spice brighten this lively, tart wheat ale, taking the German Berliner Weisse tradition on an island run. Hopfentea pairs well with light appetizers, fish, and high humidity."

Perennial Artisan Ales Tart Hopfentea (brewed with Hopleaf) 

This beer pours into a radiant, melon-pink color at first, but once the body fills into the glass the beer takes on more of a hazy orange body. The beer produces two fingers of the most dense and beautiful head I have seen. I'm not one to gush about a beer's appearance very often, but this beer is simply stunning to look at. The head is white and dense, and retains well with nice lacing. Bright light confirms that this is very much a hazy orange beer, with a white head. 

The aroma here is really nice, with assertive tea, tropical fruits, and hops standing out on the nose. I'm getting lemony tea, iced tea, peach and melon tea, floral/peach/earthy hops, and big flower notes. I get some big rose petals here, and mild hop spice. I don't know what hops are used here...maybe Saaz or something? As this warms up a bit, a huge papaya note emerges, with big papaya tropical fruit.

This is more tart than I was expecting, especially based on some of the reviews calling it mediocre and lacking lactic character. I'm finding this to be quite tart up front, with moderate lactic pull. I'm definitely getting some sourness pulling on my gumline. Along with the nice lactic character is some really nice tea notes. The tea notes are floral and lemony, with rose petals, flowers, iced tea, lemon, and some peach. The papaya note from the aroma shows up as well, which is super refreshing and nice. The back end has that wheat density, and despite this being sour/tart, it cleans up nicely. 

I'm really enjoying this. This is super drinkable at 4.2%, with a refreshing, light-bodied mouthfeel. The mouthfeel is tart and lactic-driven up front, but finishes with some nice creamy wheat towards the back. This has good palate depth, and is fairly complex. I don't understand the reviews ball-busting this. I think this accomplishes what it set out to do: this brings nice tea notes and tropical fruit notes to the style. Up front: lactic funk, sourness, tropical fruits, papaya; the mids roll into big tea, with flowers, rose petals, iced tea, more papaya; the back end is lingering tea and fruits, and then some of the creamy wheat kicks in to round things out.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is a simple but elegant beer. This beer would pair great with papaya, mango salsa, fish, lightly seasoned fish tacos, fruit salad, and sushi. I'm a huge Berliner Weisse fan, and I'm a huge tea fan. I think this is a good fusion of the two, so ignore the haters and check this one out.

Random Thought: I need to go and pick up more beers from Perennial. 

Off Color Brewing Troublesome

Breewed By: Off Color Brewing in Chicago, IL

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Foremost Liquor Stores in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Gose, 4.5%

Reported IBUs: 10

Oh hey...something new, woo. About Off Color Brewing:

Off Color Brewing is a brewery founded in 2008 according to their Facebook, or 2014 according to their website, or 2013 if you follow their release party and the logical timeline. It really doesn't matter, I suppose. What you need to know is that this brewery is the brainchild of former Goose Island barrel guru, John Laffler, and former Two Brothers brewer, Dave Bleitner. The duo are both graduates of Siebel, and share a passion for brewing exotic, off-color beer. For more info, check out the brewery's ABOUT page.

Tonight's beer is being dumped into the Gose category on both Ratebeer and BeerAdvocate. The Troublesome is a blended wheat beer brewed with lactobacillus. Actually, this beer is a blend of two different beers: an "uninteresting wheat beer," and a "overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus." The two beers are blended with coriander and salt (ah, so it must be a Gose...eh). The beer features Northern Brewer hops, pils, wheat malt, flaked wheat, and flaked oats malt...and punches in at a sessionable 4.5% ABV. Let's glass this one up, shall we?

Off Color Brewing Troublesome

The beer pours into a transparent/clear yellow body, and kicks up a finger of white head. There's a nice stream of carbonation in the glass. You might mistake this for a Pilsner or Pale Lager, but the head retention is good, with some sea foam head hanging around, there is nice lacing, and the carbonation is much more constrained.

The aroma here is very nice, like a German Wheat beer meets a Belgian Strong Ale meets a Gose. I'm getting lots of Pils malt and Belgian funk, with cream, vanilla, white sugar, clove, Pils malt, hints of dough/biscuit, and some BIG, SPICY, coriander. Huge coriander, it's very spicy. I'm getting some grainy lemon and a hint of salt as well.

The taste mirrors the nose, and I'm getting a reasonable amount of salt in the taste....I get salty clove and lemon-Belgian funk up front; that rolls into citrus, wheat, vanilla, clove, coriander, and more salty wheat takes over. There's a lot of salt, clove, coriander spice, lemon citrus, grass/wheat, and some good Belgian funk. It's a nice wheat...creamy, drinkable, and appropriately dense. I'm also picking up some grains of paradise.

This is delicious. It's medium-light bodied, with great carbonation to help move things along. The beer is creamy, and wheat-fueled, with hints of salt. It's so refreshing, and equally appropriate to pound back at 4.5% ABV. Palate depth is outstanding, and complexity is awesome too. You get salty clove and lemon and Belgian funk up front; that rolls into citrus, wheat, clove, coriander; more salty wheat dials things back up, and the beer finishes with lingering wheat, salt, citrus...dry...funky...oh man.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. I guess it could be a little more tart or sour...but I don't know. The lemon, clove, grains of paradise, and creamy wheat flavors all remind me of the best summer beers...this is some good shit. I would pair this beer with foods on a hot summer day: grilled foods, hamburgers, fruit salads, hot dogs, pasta salads, etc. You could also pair this with some upscale dining and go the burger/vegetable route. It's not quite peppery or funky enough to compete with a Saison, but it has that rustic and raw element that suggests leafy/green pairings.

Random Thought: And a 6-pack is only like 10 dollars. Very comparable to something like the Prairie Standard. 

Evil Twin Justin Blåbær

Brewed By: Evil Twin Brewing (Westbrook Brewing) in Copenhagen/Brooklyn

Purchased: 22oz bottle bought at Fischman Liquors and Tavern in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Berliner Weiss, 4.5%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer is an abomination, which is why I had to pick it up. About Evil Twin: 

Evil Twin is a Gypsy Brewery founded by founded by Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø (brother of Mikkel Borg Bjergsø) in 2010. Like his twin brother Mikkel, Jeppe is a teacher, and a homebrewer who was tired of the mainstream offerings. In 2004, Mikkel went off to pursue brewing, while Jeppe opened up a bottle shop. In 2010, while teaching a homebrewing, Jeppe decided to sell and distribute the beer he was brewing via his bottle shop. Jeppe moved to New York in 2012. For more info, check out this interview/history here. 

There is no info for tonight's beer, because Evil Twin's website shit the bed. But the back of the bottle states:

"OMG! It's JUSTIN BLABAER!!! If you have "Blabaer fever," then this is the only cure. We stuffed so many blueberries into this beer--it's going to make you shout, "Oh, Baby!" This is dedicated to AVSB, A&F YFFL - EW, MW, RWM, BE, SS, RC"

Evil Twin Justin Blåbær. Hideous. 

The Blåbær pours into a hazy, vibrant, orange body...I guess it kind of has some streaky purple tones, but not really. The beer kicks up several fingers of white, wheat-fueled head. There's a storm of carbonation rising upwards on my glasses' nucleation point, and I'm seeing some yeast chunks floating around. Sexy. Head retention is good.

The aroma...the aroma on this beer is awesome, with jammy berry notes. I'm getting jammy blueberry/raspberry/blackberry...and then as you settle into the aroma a weird chalky aroma comes to the forefront. I'm also picking up tons of lactic funk, and lots of lactic tartness. The chalky note on the aroma is 100% Sweet Tarts and I have no idea what the fuck I'm smelling, but it is there. There's some grassy/straw and grassy funk on the aroma as well.

Oh man...I'm enjoying this. Did I mention Berliners are like one of my favorite styles of beer? This shit is cash, like Johnny Cash, except less dead and more blueberry. There's a ton of sour, aggressively tart, refreshing, wheat-forward lactic funk up front. You pick up big lemons, jammy berries, jammy apricots and peaches, enamel-crushing lactic sourness, and then the beer settles into a malty, wheaty finish. The actual finish is lingering tartness, super dry, lactic fun. 

I like this a lot. Someone I spoke to said they were picking up some butter/popcorn in their bottle, so maybe there is some batch variation or infections out there. This bottle is perfect. This is refreshing, drinkable, and features good palate depth and complexity for the style. It's light-bodied, super tart, and has tons of carbonation. It's well attenuated and finishes dry. There's a lot going on here too...You get aggressive lemon-lactic-tart and sourness up front; that rolls into jammy fruits, jammy berries, and big lactic funk; that rolls into wheat, some creamy lactic goodness, and a dry, lactic/sour/tart finish. This one will pull on your enamel and ride those molars like a Texas sorority girl on a bull at the bar.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this...I think they have a version of this beer aged in wine barrels? Or maybe this one right here is that beer. I don't know, because the Evil Twin website is down. Ahem. For a beer like this, I would pair it with strong, dry cheeses, fruit salads, light vegetable salads, and fruit pies and fruit desserts. Good stuff and affordable at around 10 dollars a bomber.

Random Thought: I should buy novelty beers more regularly. 

New Glarus Thumbprint Series Berliner Weiss

Brewed By: New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin

Purchased: 12oz bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013

Style/ABV: Berliner Weiss, 3.0% 

Reported IBUs: ?

DAE New Glarus beer? About New Glarus:

New Glarus is the rare, gorgeous "Midwest" brewery, founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey, the first woman to found and operate a brewery in the United States. She raised the capital for the start-up as a gift to her husband, Dan Carey, who is New Glarus' brewmaster and co-owner. Dan Carey has a long history working in the brewing industry, including an apprenticeship at a brewery near Munich, Germany and a job as the Production Supervisor for Anheuser-Busch. The brewery began as an abandoned warehouse using old brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey purchased coper kettles from a brewery in Germany. In May 2006, New Glarus opened their new (current) facility on a hilltop in the village of New Glarus. The facility looks like a Bavarian village, and is gorgeous. The expansion has allowed the brewery to continue to increase their production, and expand their operations. For more information, check out their brewery page or Wikipedia. 

The Berliner Weiss is part of the New Glarus' 2013 Thumbprint Series, and rolled out in May and June. If I'm reading New Glarus' description correctly, this beer is barrel fermented and features Riesling grapes and Wisconsin White Wheat malts. This beer is bottle fermented with five proprietary yeast strains. 

New Glarus Berliner Weiss

The beer pours into a super hazy yellow/straw body, and kicks up two or three fingers of fluffy, super white head. The head is sustaining with some authority, but doesn't look quite par the course for a wheat beer. You can tell that something is up, hopefully a good infection. Bright light confirms the hazy, lemonade-colored body, and bright white head. There's a mix of peppery carbonation and big carbonation bubbles popping upwards. It looks like a Berliner.

The aroma is pretty subtle and subdued. I'm getting some nice lactic funk: there's some fresh rain, musty attic, wet leather, and some lemon funk. I'm also getting some nice hints of wheat on the aroma. 

This is super nice, with bright sweetness...there's some nice lactic funk and lemon tartness, and some watermelon, tart apple, and hints of grape. As I swish this beer in my mouth, I pick up some of the creamy wheat, and then BIG watermelon starts popping on this...almost like watermelon bubblegum. The tartness is driven by lactic-lemon goodness.

Good lord, this stuff is fantastic. This is super refreshing and super drinkable. You want to buy this up by the case to savor in large quantities during the hot summer months. Palate depth is great, and there's some nice complexity. This also has a nice balance of funk, tartness, and flavor. I get kicked with lactic-lemon up front; that rolls into big watermelon, some apple and grape; the back end dials up the watermelon and ends tart and dry. If you swirl the beer in your mouth you pick up some creamy carbonation and watermelon. The mouthfeel is light-bodied and refreshing. Tart.

Rating: Divine Brew (5.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Divine Brew on this. What a great beer. I admit I'm a bit biased as I love these light, tart, wheat beers...but yeah. I'd love to have a case of this in my fridge come July or early August. I would pair this beer with a fruit or vegetable salad, grilled chicken, white fish, and summer/patio food. The best part? 4-packs of this retail for like $10. 

Random Thought: Just wait...there's still a lot more New Glarus left...

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?

Upright Brewing Gose

Brewed By: Upright Brewing in Portland, Oregon  

Purchased: 750ml bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Gose, 5.2%

Reported IBUs: ?

After a weekend of hard knocks, I'm in the mood for something lighter and more drinkable. A Gose will certainly hit that spot. Tonight's beer was a random purchase, and happened to be from Upright Brewing. 

Upright Brewing is a brewery based out of Portland, Oregon that specializes in French and Belgium farmhouse-style beers. Their unique viewpoint is that they try to use local ingredients, and their beers have a "Pacific Northwest twist." These guys were founded in March of 2009 by Alex Ganum, and the brewery's name is a reference to Charles Mingus' upright bass. For more info, check out their website or Facebook page.

As I said in my introduction, tonight's beer was a random purchase. I credit much of that to this beer's vibrant bottle art. This beer comes in an attractive 750ml bottle, and features a colorful, rustic, seaside town. The Upright Gose is described as "a wheat beer with coriander and salt." Word on the street is that this beer has a pilsener, wheat, and organic caramel malt base; features

Awesome bottle art. 

hallertauer mittelfrüh hops; and is fermented out with French Saison yeast. At 5.2%, this beer should be drinkable...and hopefully with some nice mild tartness and salt. 

Surprisingly, there was no gushing, but popping the cap released a hiss of escaping air. The pour also proved to be difficult, as I kicked up a fistful of head with minimal "umpph" in my pour. As this beer settles down, you can see that the body is a hazy lemonade/urine color, with a large amount of soapy, fluffy, persistent head. The head is bright white, and MAYBE pulls some light gold tones in low light. In bright light, you get much of the same: a hazy lemonade color, a sustaining white head that is depositing tons of sticky lacing as it falls, and INTENSE streams of carbonation rising upwards. 

Upright Brewing Gose

I immediately detected some sea salt/ocean when I popped the cap off and stuck my nose in the bottle for a quick preview of the aroma. In the glass I'm getting a lot more light apples, apple slaw salad, straw, peppery coriander, very mild hints of salt/mineral, a touch of Belgian funk/clove, and some pear/lemon fruitiness. 

I'm really digging this. My first sip was probably a comedown from [bleep] Mountain...I've been sucking down the high gravity beers all weekend (w00tstout, Bois, BCS). This is an incredibly refreshing and subtle beer, with zesty salt/mineral, grains of paradise and orange/lemon peel, bright coriander, peppery salt, apples, pears, and apple slaw salad, and bright wheat/straw. There's also a hint of Belgian clove/funk. The taste really mirrors the nose, and that's a nice thing. The wheat and lemon flavors give this beer a slight tang...but I'm not really picking up any lactic/sour....

As I was buying this, I was speaking with the gentleman at the counter to see if he had tried this beer. He said he had tried it, and he thought it was pretty good. His only objection was that the beer is missing a noticeable lactic/sour edge. And...true dat. I'm not really getting any lactic notes in this beer, let alone any sour. There's definitely some Belgian funk on display, but I feel like this could elevate to another level of awesomeness if they introduced a subtle lactic character. It doesn't even need to be in fermentation...just do a sour mash. But here's the weird thing. As I read some reviews for this beer, I notice that people are saying this beer is sour. Hmmm? I wonder if there is batch variation, or if the recipe has changed, or what.

It's also possible that reviews are full of variance, or that reviews are bullshit, or some combination of the above. Also, I may be drinking a fresh bottle...but I really doubt the presence of microbes in this. Anyway, this beer is amazingly drinkable at 5.2%. This is the type of beer I want on a hot summer day in a 24-pack. I dream of a day when craft beer has become mainstream enough to support a quality Gose in a 24-pack format. This is a light-bodied beer with good palate depth, and understated complexity. There's a lot of wheat, clove, hints of banana, and grains of paradise/orange and lemon peel up front; that rolls into big mineral/salt, peppery coriander, more wheat; the back end is lingering wheat, some Belgian funk/clove...the finish is dry with lingering mineral/salt and wheat.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. This is probably a cop-out rating, but I honestly can't elevate this to a "Divine Brew" when I feel like this beer is missing that lactic twist. I really do think it would add another dimension to this beer, elevating what we have here (which is pretty damn amazing) to something I would seek out more frequently. On the other hand, what we have here is pretty spectacular...a fantastic wheat beer with a nice salty twist. The salt/mineral character in this beer is assertive, and you end up getting a pretty dominate grains of paradise/orange-lemon peel thing. This beer exhumes drinkability, and would pair well with a fruit salad, grilled chicken, peppery poultry, lighter white fish, mussels, clams...this is a summer beer. And a damn good one at that. Recommended. 

Random Thought: I fucking hate Mondays. When I'm president, every weekend will be a three-day weekend, and then we can all fucking hate Tuesdays. 

Pipeworks Flower Child

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle/1 Pint, 9.4oz (Batch #74) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Berliner Weisse, 3.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

I've been pounding my liver pretty hard this past week or two, so nothing seems more appropriate than to cap the weekend off with a light, 3.5% Berliner Weissbier. 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. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

I'm a big fan of the Pipeworks' Berliner Weisse series, and I know for a fact that this beer is great. The bottle reads:

"Pipeworks Flower Child is the groovy, free-spirited sister to the previous generations of berliner beauties. Naked as the day she was born, this free loving girl is pure and unadultered. Take a taste and she'll drop a tantalizing tart acidity beside a refreshing wheat base. Simple yet so complex, this righteous girl promises a peak experience. Peace, love and Berliner Weisse. Can you dig it?"

Pipeworks Flower Child

This one pours a hazy/cloudy greenish-gold-straw color, that can only be compared to pond water or poorly filtered iced tea. The beer is equally as unfiltered as pond water, with chunks of sediment floating around. I fridged this horizontally like a boss. The beer kicked up a finger of sickly, fizzy, white head. The head has settled into a nice hazy funk. This has good carbonation, and there's some lacing. Everything about this beer is pretty much the same story in bright light, only more so.

The comedy with this beer is that it reminds me of Leinenkugels Summer Shandy, only with some more funk. I'm getting lemon, Lemonheads, lemon-aid, club soda, lactic funk, pleasant acidity, and some nice sour wheat/hay/barnyard. Really nice stuff on the nose here.

This is just a pleasure to drink, with nice sour wheat, lemon, and barnyard up front, followed by nice lactic acidity. You get some bread and biscuit on the back, with maybe a hint of dough or dairy. There's some mineral-esque flavors in here, but the big thing is the sour lemon, lemon-aid, and grass/hay/wheat up front, followed by lactic acid, bread, and a clean finish.

3.5% wwwwhhhuuuuuttttt. This is insanely flavorful and drinkable for such a low-ABV beer. This is highly carbonated, but the carbonation is thin and crisp. The beer is driven by nice sourness and acidity, and then rounds into a malty and dry finish. With a light mouthfeel, this goes down easy. And it should. Palate depth is great, and so is complexity. Up front: sour lemons, grass, barnyard; the middle blasts the lactic acid funk; the back rounds out with bread/biscuit, lingering sour mash, dry. 

Rating: Divine Brew 

I gotta go with a Strong Divine Brew on this. This is easily the best of the Pipeworks Berliner Weisse series, and this is a great beer. This beer would be right at home at a summer barbecue on a hot afternoon, or by the beach, or wherever really. This is super drinkable, super refreshing, and has huge and bold flavors for a 3.5% ABV beer. This beer is a testament to what you can do with a low-gravity beer. I would pair this beer with a fresh salad, a fruit salad, ceviche, fried calamari, pork, fish, lightly seasoned chicken, and anything you're cooking on your patio grill. Considering a bottle of this stuff is around 10 to 12 bucks...totally worth it.

Random Thought: Dear, "The Writers" of the Walking Dead, your Season 3 finale sucked and you should feel bad.

Pipeworks Well Read Temptress

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: 750ml bottle/1 Pint, 9.4oz (Batch #83) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013 (2012 bottle)

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

Because libraries and red is hot? 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. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Today's beer is the second beer in the Pipework's sour, fruity, wheat beer series. That's... disconcerting, because of this. Then again, the fresh, new batch, was pretty tasty (divine for what it is...a local, blueberry sour). The Well Read Temptress has a big ol' disclaimer on the bottle that says: "Drink Fresh! Store Cold!" Oh...wild yeast, you are a bitch. The bottle states:

"The WELL READ TEMPTRESS is the second of our sour and seductive ladies. This ravishing raspberry berliner weisse knows how to read between the lines with her cheeky tartness and crisp finish. Aged on fresh raspberries from our friends at the Seedling farms, this beer is sure to educate the palate. Just don't be late for this, the Red Temptress doesn't like when you're overdue."

The joke's on us. If you drink it past due, it tastes like Greek Yogurt in a diaper. Zing! Also see: jokes about ovulation/drinking in its prime. Zing! Zing! Zing! I do think the bottle strikes a nice balance of provocative, puns, and covert sexism, rather than the overt kind. Anyway...

Pipeworks Well Read Temptress

This one pours a lot like the Blue Lady...the Blue Lady poured out like grape drink, or unicorn jizz (contrary to popular belief, unicorn jizz is not carbonated naturally, it's just sparkly). Basically, this beer looks like pink lemonade. Carbonated pink lemonade. I'm happy to report this passed the initial smell test, with just mild blasts of lactic funk and yogurt. On the other hand, I was grossed out as a white, sticky glob hit the bottom of my glass before the beer cascaded in....in Pipework's defense, I didn't "rest the beer upright for 2 hours" prior to pouring. Bring on some of that funky yeast. This one poured with a spritzy, finger's worth of carbonated, red-tinged head. It fizzled out pretty quickly, and has settled into an infected looking cauldron effect. In bright light, this beer is wicked pink. Seriously, is this all natural? This shit radiates pink, like radioactive Pepto-Bismol. This one is super hazy, and has lots of tiny, lively, carbonation. Dat effervescence, man. It's a nifty looking beer...

There's a ton of tart raspberries on the aroma, with huge lactic overtones. You get very sutble gym bag/locker, subtle funky cheese (the good kind...), and a dash of mild, pleasant Greek Yogurt. It's all kept in check by the nice tart raspberries, sour mash, some basement funk...nice raspberry, and as it warms up, a dash of malt.

The taste is really nice, especially for a 4.0% wheat beer. I'm getting a lot of raspberry currants, raspberry puree, fresh raspberry, unsweetened raspberry jam...there's nice acidity, and good tartness/mild sour. The lactic kick almost reminds me of apple butter, only more like raspberry butter (this isn't buttery, however). I'm getting dashes of lemon, super acidic grapefruit and orange, cranberry, and nice raspberry. The finish is super dry, with lingering wheat/sour mash on the palate. From fruity, to sour, to sweet, to sour, to dry...this is quite cleansing.

As far as local options go, I'm loving this. Like the non-infected batch of the Blue Lady, this really makes me happy. It's priced reasonably well, too. This is light-bodied, has good palate depth, and has moderate complexity. But it's so balanced and drinkable at 4.0%. It's tart, acidic, slightly sour, and finishes with nice wheat notes. Up front is carbonation, raspberry, currants; this rolls into acidic and tart raspberry, lemon; mid palate hits you with sour, raspberry, lemon, various fruits, some funk, light cheese/must; the back end finishes with wheat, sour mash, super dry.

Rating: Divine Brew 

I gotta go with a light light Divine Brew on this. I'm sure there are more legit Berliner Weisse beers out there, and it's a bummer that aging this beer comes with so many risks. But this really works for me, and it's local, and it's cheap, and I heart raspberries almost as much if not more than blueberries. And that's it folks. I wouldn't trade too hard for this, but if you're in Chicago, pick this up. I would pair this with a barbecue in the summer...grilled hotdogs, grilled chicken, a nice fresh salad, fruit salad, or fruity desserts. Yum.

Random Thought: What's the best berry? Raspberry? Strawberry? Blueberry? The elusive blackberry? I'll take them all, please.