Berliner Weisse

Hottenroth Berliner Weisse

The Bruery ABV: 3.1%

“The Berliner weisse is such a low-alcohol beer that it can appeal to the most hardcore beer geeks and to those who don’t like beer,” brewmaster Patrick Rue says of his Hottenroth, which is named after his grandparents. It’s chock-full of Lactobacillus sour power, resulting in a shockingly pleasing citric tartness. It’s as if lemonade and Champagne had a love child.

1809

Professor Fritz Briem ABV: 5%

Only with a Berliner weisse would a 5 percent ABV seem extreme. Though it’s a touch stronger than we’d like, there’s lots to love about 1809, which dedicates half its grain bill to wheat malt. A nose like lemon yogurt leads to a bright citric acidity, which is mixed with apples and apricots. The effervescence is crisper than cold seltzer.