Harbour Brewing Co, Rhubarb and Pink Peppercorn Berliner Weisse

Here’s your cheat sheet for Harbour Brewing’s Rhubarb and Pink Peppercorn Berliner Weisse. The Berliner Weisse style is sometimes called ‘the Champagne of the North’. This is overplaying Champagne to my mind, which is a horrible drink revered far beyond what it ever deserved. But I’m not here to talk about wine…

Berliner Weisse, 3.5% ABV, IBU not available (but it’ll be low… very low).

Featured in BeerBods Plus box 4 on 15 March 2018.

Find the brewery on Twitter at @HarbourBrewing and on Instagram at @harbourbrewing.

Serving temperature

Serve this beer cold, around 7°C; stick it in the fridge for round two hours so it has time to cool right down. This beer is best served in a wide, bowl-shaped glass.

Open and pour carefully. This style of beer can get a bit lively.

You can learn more about recommended serving temperatures elsewhere on this site.

Flavours to expect

Berliner Weisse beers are lightly tart, fruity, and highly effervescent. They usually pour a dark-golden in colour with a slight haze thanks to the 25% to 30% pale malted wheat in the grain bill. They are generally quite low-alcohol beers, with this one being no exception. I would expect the rhubarb and pink peppercorn to come through quite clearly. There should be a bit of a lactic acid funky note as well. Hops don’t really feature in this style but look out for fruity esters from the yeast.

Food pairings

This is a versatile beer style that can pair well with lots of dishes. You’ll often see it alongside a selection of charcuterie (look for varying levels of salt, smokiness, and spice) and cheeses (cheddar, a washed rind, and a creamy blue work well). The lactic tartness of the beer cuts through the meat’s fattiness and complements the acid of the pickles. You could try it with a cheesecake. Go for one with a fruity topping – ideally rhubarb to echo the beer more closely. I’ve read that Berliner Weisse also goes great with eggs Benedict, although I’ve yet to try that myself. Also: chips. Well… you can never go wrong with chips!

Further info

Read more on this beer from BeerBods. I couldn’t find any info about this on Harbour’s website so instead here’s a treat for any German speakers, or anyone who finds the idea of Barbara’s rhubarb cake eating barbarians amusing.