Berliner Weisse

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Berliner Weisse is a type of Weizenbier (a style of beer made with wheat and barley) brewed exclusively in the area of Berlin, Germany.

Berliner Weisse (spelled Weiße in German) is first mentioned in 1642 by the Berlin doctor J.S.Elsholz, as an enhancement of the beer Broihans from Halberstadt ^[1]. A famous Weisse drinker was Albrecht von Wallenstein, who during the Thirty Years' War complained in a letter to his subordinate captain Arnim von Boitzenburg that he "does not know how to satisfy his thirst, for [he could] not bear the taste of barley beer". Berlin was hard up for wheat at the time, so that it could not be used for brewing.

Later during the 19th century, Berliner Weisse was the most popular drink in Berlin. Several breweries specialised on this variety. Every third realty hosted a tavern, among which were many inns.

Berliner Weisse contains only around 2.8% vol of alcohol, making it one of the weakest German beers. It is top-fermented, slightly barm-clouded and relatively sour, so the taste of Berliner Weisse differs significant from other German wheat beers. The optimal drinking temperature is 8° to 10 °C.

It is served in a large goblet with a straw. Due to the sour taste, it is commonly drunk mixed with red raspberry Himbeeresirup, yellow lemon Zitronensirup, or green Waldmeister (artificial woodruff-flavoured) syrup, and is then called Weisse mit Schuss ("Weisse with a shot [of Syrup]") creating a -Rot, -Gelb or -Gruen Berliner Weiss- respectively. This mixed-drink is very refreshing in the hot summer months and is served throughout Berlin.

An older variation is the Weisse mit Strippe (" Weisse with a strip [of alcohol]"), which is Weisse mixed with a small amount of alcohol like Kümmel (a liqueur flavored with caraway seed and other spices) or Korn ("grain spirit"). In nearby Thuringia they enjoy Berliner Weisse Blau, which is made with a shot of blue curacao and is colored blue, and the dark-red Berliner Weisse Spezial, which is made with a shot of crimson Crème de Cassis.