Category Archives: Fritz Briem

Hello guys.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be trying the 1809 Berliner Weisse produced by Professor Fritz Briem in Freising, Germany.

I really liked the Grut Bier that Dr. Briem produced and I’m sure this beer will be a tasty treat as well.

Ratebeer.com was the only place that I could find any kind of description of this beer.  

Created by Dr. Fritz Briem of Doemens Institute, brewed by Weihenstephan & Doemens (ed: Weihenstephan denies this), “1809” is a very traditional interpretation of the “Berliner Style” Weisse with an intense blend of lactic tartness and complex fruitiness. It is bottle-conditioned, unfiltered and unpasteurized. “1809” will age beautifully in a dark and cool location. Its complex fruitiness and tartness will most likely develop in quite astonishing ways. “1809” is fermented in traditional open fermenters and horizontal lager tanks. The applied mashing regime is a single step decoction mash with 50 % wheat malt.The total amount of hops is added to the mash so that isomerisation takes place in the decocotion part of the mash. The wort is not boiled but only heated up to boiling temperature and then transferred to the open fermenters and pitched with yeast and lactic acid bacteria (isolated from malt) at 18 °C (64°F).

Let’s pour.

This brew has an ABV of 5.0% and it comes in a 16.9 oz. bottle.

The 1809 poured a cloudy, golden to deep yellow color.  The cap was bright white, soapy and very fizzy.  The retention time was poor and the lacing was non-existent.  I could see a steady stream of bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass however.  Overall, I was a bit disappointed in the appearance of this beer.

The nose was much better.  A honorable amount of sourness jumped out at first.  Hints of lemon citrus and apples.  It kind of smelled like apple juice.  It also revealed a sturdy amount of wheat”y” goodness.  As the brew began to warm it became quite earthy, herbal and musty.  Not bad at all.  It was balanced very well and had plenty to be happy about, however it wasn’t overly complex or confusing.

The taste exposed some green apple sourness and lemon zest.  A light tartness was affirmed, but I didn’t receive much acidity or anything like that.  It had a very strong wheat flavor which, like the smell, gave it that earthy and herbal quality.  A pretty nice tasting beer right here.  Noble and to the point.

The mouthfeel was medium to thin bodied.  Very dry, snappy, thirst quenching, crisp and refreshing.  A subtle sharpness was felt for the first half of the beer, but it gradually smoothed out as the beer warmed to room temperature.  A befitting amount of flavor was left on the palate after each sip.

Well, aside from the appearance of this brew, I thought, overall, that it was pretty good.  You can easily tell that it’s a well made beer.  It wasn’t quite as nice as the Grut Bier in my opinion, but they are different styles I guess.  The drinkability was awesome though and I for sure think it would match perfectly with the warmer weather of Spring and Summer.  I wouldn’t mind having it again if it were offered and I would recommend you guys pick up a bottle and see what you think of the Dr. Fritz Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse.  If you’ve already tried it, what was your impression? 

Thanks for reading and commenting guys.  As always, I really appreciate it.

Until next time.  Cheers.

Score:  3.8 out of 5
Grade:  B+

Hello everyone.  For today’s craft beer review I’m going to be enjoyihng a very special, rare and unique beer.  It’s called the 13th Century “Grut” Bier produced by Professor Fritz Briem in Freising, Germany.

This beer came highly recommended to me by Blake Layne from Chuck’s Wine and Spirits in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  He said it would be like nothing I had ever tried before, so I’m really looking forward to sampling this thing.

I had to revert to ratebeer.com to find a commercial description because, currently, no website is dedicated to this brew.

Before the German Purity Law “Reinheitsgebot” of 1516 it was common practice to use any kind of different spices, herbs, fruits and other plants to provide balance to beer.  Hops was not yet well known at this time.  Grut bier has roots in many cultures and each culture had it’s own “special ingredients”:  Egyptians, Native Americans, Arabian Tribes, Gaulles, Germanic Tribes and the Vikings.  This interpretation of a traditional Grut Bier is spiced with Lorbeer (Bay Leaves), Ingwer (Ginger), Kummel (Caraway), Anis (Anise), Rosemarin (Rosemarie) & Enzian (Gentian).  It is brewed with water, wheat & barley malt, “pollinated wild hops” and fermented using top fermenting yeast. – Dr. Fritz Briem Historic Signature Series. 

Man, I can’t wait to try this.

This brew has an ABV of 4.6% and it comes in a 16.9 oz. bottle.

The beer poured a very light honey to straw yellow color.  It looked a lot like pineapple juice.  It started clear, but as I poured the remainder of the bottle into the glass it became cloudy with sediment.  The crown was a very bright white color of decent size.  The retention time was adequate, but the lacing seemed sub par.  The head was fluffy and smooth looking, but it had a very fizzy “sound”.  It was comprised of very small, tight, soapy bubbles.

The aroma revealed a ton of spices.  Ginger, cloves, Rosemarie and fresh mint.  Also detected was a fruity, sweet, apple cinnamon bouquet.  It was very floral with underlying hints of wheat and grain.  This was a very unusual and complicated nose, but it was oh so delightful and unique.  All of the fragrances were congruently balanced and harmonized.  There was so much going on that I couldn’t even begin to decipher everything. 
 
The taste brought forth all of the spice again, however they seemed to be a touch more relaxed.  All were still easily noticed, such as the ginger, cloves and mint, plus they continued to be well blended and engaging.  Much like the smell, a solid wheat base gave the flavor a well rounded and somewhat familiar profile.  This taste is something to behold for sure.

The mouthfeel was light, very smooth, mostly dry and crisp, however not very snappy.  The carbonation was both lively and good.  Some flavor was left on the palate, although it didn’t completely drench the mouth like I thought it might.

I’ll tell ya.  This beer is definitely unlike anything I have ever had.  It’s totally unique, alluring and exclusive.  I would highly recommend it if you can find it.  It’s fairly easy to drink also considering all of the spices involved.  I would be willing to bet that some may not like this beer do to that fact and that’s totally understandable.  I’m going to have to score this beer relatively high just for the fact that it’s so rare and different.  Not to mention that it’s pretty darn good too.

Have any of you guys ever tried the Dr. Frietz Briem 13th Century “Grut” Bier?  If so, what did you think of it?  Did you enjoy it?  Feel free to leave a comment if you like.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.  I truly appreciate all of the support.

Until next time.

Cheers.

Score:  4.2 out of 5
Grade:  A-