Brewery: This is HOW brewery
Country: Sweden
Size: 33cl
ABV: 4.5%
Price: 20kr
Systembolaget: 1620
Time is always moving, and so taste are constantly changing too. Like any industry, beer tastes change with the times. When lager took over as the dominant beer style in Europe in the mid 19th century, it swept aside all other styles. When the craft beer movement in America took off in the 1970s, it was IPA leading the charge. Over the last few years though it seem that sour beers have been the rapidly on the rise, and the amount on the shelves has increased greatly. The berliner weisse style sour has been increasingly common, especially with fruit added to help differentiate it from its competitors. This is a raspberry berliner weisse which is produced in Piteå, a city even further north than Umeå. I had also tried this before and loved it so I knew straight away this would the “red” entry into the rainbow tasting.
This was light strawberry jam red with a pink head that held fairly well. There was a slight cloud to it and seemed to have high levels of carbonation to it, as would be expected with this style. The aroma was described as wonderfully tart, with a lovely blend of raspberry, strawberry and gooseberry all married together. Upon the first sip, this really made the mouth water with its fruit sourness. It wasn’t sour in a vinegar way, but more akin to sour fruit sweets that leave your mouth dry due to the tartness. Big raspberry and gooseberry hits circulated around the palate, with some minor hay notes in there for good measure. The aftertaste was quite short, just mainly leaving the dry sensation in the mouth.
This is a lovely fruit beer and I understand why this is the brewer’s best-selling beer. Easy to drink with a fresh sour sensation, this is well made and balanced. An excellent addition to the tasting.