My Current Fascination With Berry Weiss Bier

It's funny how my first post to this blog will not be about either of the two things this blog is supposed to be about - food or wine. While beer is neither of those two things, I will make this post because I believe that it is appropriate. Besides, both Sue and I have relatives that basically live(d) on a steady diet of beer their whole adult lives, and continue to do so today in some cases...

When I lived for a couple years in Northwest Chicagoland, I was introduced to the local beers. Okay, not truly local, but brewed in the nearby state of Wisconsin. In the state of Wisconsin, if you don't live in or near one of the major cities (Milwaukee or... uh... I can't think of another. Hmmm...) there isn't much to do. This is a major farming and dairy state, and is one of the most green and lush places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Needless to say, the lack of entertainment led to the development of some really great breweries. Of those, my favorite is Leinenkugel.

Alas, when I moved to Maryland, I was separated from my beloved Leines. After a brief flirtation with Red Dogs (back when Plank Road Brewery wasn't part of Miller Brewing and Red Dogs were actually good) I cut back on my beer consumption a lot. Why bother drinking beer when all you can get is Bud or Miller or Coors? YUCK!

After a few years I noticed in the supermarket that they had Leines, but they had the Leinenkugel's Red Lager - one of the brews that they make that I didn't particularly care for. After asking and shopping around, I found that all they were exporting from the Midwest was the Red. Oh well...

After moving to Florida, I happened upon the new Sunset Wheat Beer from Leinenkugel's. Though expensive ($8/6) I picked it up, hoping it would be like the Honey Weiss Bier I used to enjoy in my apartment in Schaumburg. Not so - it was BETTER. It has a wonderful citrus flavor to it that is so refreshing it is wonderful. Oddly, this isn't a true 'Weiss' beer - it's a combination of Wheat and Pale malts which really creates a great smoothness to it. In addition, coriander is added to provide the citrus flavor. This works really well despite what you might expect. Sunset Wheat quickly became my new favorite beer.

Then, about a month ago - there it was on the shelf in the refrigerated aisle next to the Sunset Wheat - my old favorite. Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss Bier. Needless to say, it came home with me and didn't disappoint in any way. Now I have a choice!

This past Saturday, I took my Mother grocery shopping in her town. In passing, we went down the frozen aisle which happened to also be the beer aisle. I noticed a gap next to the two Leine's on the shelf and became curious. Looking deep into the shelf I saw it - Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss. There was only one six of it left and I had to have it. My memory of Berry Weiss was such that I knew that I had to have it and that if I didn't get it it would be gone long gone. When I lived in Chi, I had tried a six of Berry Weiss and thoroughly enjoyed it, only to find that it was a seasonal beer that was available for only a month or so in early fall, replaced on the shelf by their Oktoberfest Lager. I only ever had that one six pack, but it made quite an impression.

I arrived back at my Mom's with the Berry Weiss and immediately cracked one. It isn't what you would expect from a flavored beer. The difference between the Leine and other flavored beers I've had is like the difference between Sugus (a Swiss fruit flavored chew candy) and Starburst. Sugus is a fruit flavored square waxy fruit chew wrapped in wax paper that come in bags, and Starburst is a fruit flavored square waxy fruit chew wrapped in wax paper that come in logs or bags. The difference is that the Sugus have a gentle (by current candy standards) fruit flavor and sweetness, whereas the Starburst beat you over the head with the sugar and fruit. The same for the Leines. They are the Starburst of the beer world - there is nothing subtle about the berry flavor. Despite this, I like them very much. I was very pleased to read on the Leinenkugel web site that Berry Weiss is now available year round. Hopefully it will remain on my market's shelves as well.

Yesterday, I decided to put two berry Weiss beers head to head, purchasing another six of Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss Bier and a six of Abita's Purple Haze Raspberry Weiss 'Brew'. Or is it Beer? I don't know - the six-pack container says Beer and the bottles say Brew - very odd. I hadn't had the Purple Haze 'Brew' before and was pleasantly surprised - they're the best Abita beer I've ever had, possessing a smoothness that is lacking from the TurboDog. However, from the raspberry side, they are very much Sugus - hardly noticeable in fact during consumption, though you can smell it in the head and taste it in the aftertaste. The Leine's are definitely very Starburst like in their berry content. I find myself wanting to drink the Leine's while eating something peanut butter laden (cookies? Reese's Peanut Butter Cups or Pieces? peanut butter cheesecake or fudge?).

Do I think that these beers will become my daily drinkers? No. But they are a great addition to my palate and should be considered when I go looking for beer at the store.