Time for Berliner Weisse

Berlin has its own traditional beer. Berliner Weisse is supposed to have been brewed since the 16th century, and was in the 19th century the most popular alcoholic drink in the Prussian capital. This wheat beer is a sour beer with a low alcohol content. Normally it has around 3% alcohol. The beer is often drunk with a flavoured syrup like raspberry or woodruff. The added syrup is called schuss, so make sure you order weisse "ohne schuss" to get the beer in its original form.

Being in Berlin, I had to try out some Berliner Weisse. As I was walking towards Alexanderplatz I found a natural place to do so. A restaurant called Alt-Berliner Weißbierstube in Rathausstraße promised both the right beer style and the right environment. I liked the restaurant, and from the moment I stepped inside until I left everything was great. Attentive and smiling waiters did their part, and the bierstube also had a fine atmosphere.

Sure, I went for the wheat beer first. I was given some Schultheiss Berliner Weisse in the traditional bowl-shaped glass. The beer was cloudy. It had a small head and barely any carbonation. I felt that the nose was refreshing with some citrus and yeast. In the mouth sourness took the lead with some lemon. The finish was watery, but it felt fitting for this beer. This is something I would really like to drink outdoors a warm and sunny Summer day.

There were more draught beers on the menu at Alt-Berliner Weißbierstube. I decided to try out Berliner Pilsener from Schultheiss. This is one of the palest lagers I have ever seen, and it was served with a medium sized head and nearly no carbonation. Berliner Pilsener had a malty aroma. In the mouth I felt malts, grass and some hops before a partly bitter finish. This was another fine pale lager that would probably be a nice session beer.

Alt-Berliner Weißbierstube was a great restaurant, and I recommend it to every visitor to Berlin. I know I will return.

Schultheiss time

I like trying new beers when I travel, and for me it is also interesting tasting beers from macro breweries. After walking in the area near Stadtmitte U-Bahn station, I passed Hotel M68 by chance. The hotel had a cafe on the ground floor, and I thought that I would find wifi possibilities on the premises. I was right, and after ordering a local beer from Berlin I was given the wifi password by the friendly waitress/receptionist.

Schultheiss Pilsener was a typical pale lager with some carbonation and a medium sized head. For some reason, I was given a San Miguel glass to drink the Schultheiss beer from. Strange. I would have believed that a hotel at least had branded glasses from a local brewery. The beer's aromas were malty with some sweetness and grass. The sweetness led on in the mouth with some grass and flowers. The beer was nice, but average. Still, it was sweeter than I would prefer. Perhaps an extra touch of hops would have been a good way of enhancing the taste experience?

One half litre of Schultheiss Pilsener was enough at M68 this time around. I was ready for the tourist part of the day. Checkpoint Charlie, Unter den Linden and Brandenburger Tor were my next stops.