The Brü Revü - Independence Brewing Red Bud

The Red Bud is Independence Brewing’s Berliner Weisse that has been getting rave reviews around Austin and now I can verify it’s great.  We are sorely lacking a good sour beer in a can, although the numbers have been increasing of late.  The Red Bud is Independence’s summer seasonal and a perfect beer for the Texas heat.  The beer poured an opaque straw yellow with a huge fluffy head that dissipated quickly.  The aroma was tart and bready with more of a musky wheat aroma with an added lemon wedge.  The taste had an assertive lemony tartness from the get go that allowed the bready wheat to peak through at mid palate and then only to return at the dry finish. The yeasty breadiness left it’s impression on my palate between sips but was immediately erased with each return quaff by the the acidic tartness.  I found Red Bud to be very light and the tart sourness to be very refreshing in the growing Texas heat.  An easy drinker that is a welcome addition to my beach and pool beer rotation. Although it seems to disappear from the stores quickly, it is nice to have a locally canned readily available Berliner Weisse.  Cheers to Independence!

Independence Brewing Red Bud

The Brü Revü – Dogfish Head Festina Peche

The Dogfish Head Festina Peche is a neo-Berliner Weisse and one of the few available Berliner Weisses in the can/bottle in Texas.  Their version of the Berliner Weisse is fermented with peaches which arrives perfectly timed with the summer peach crops and summer heat.  A Berliner Weisse is a very wheaty, very sour low alcohol style of beer that began in Berlin and is exceedingly popular in Germany where they have a tendency to lace them with fruity syrups to cut the acidity.  Here in the U.S. they are a great summer thirst quencher and are becoming more popular with the rising popularity of sour/wild beers.  The Festina Peche poured a hazy golden yellow with a slight white head.  The aroma was bready and malty with a slight tartness and bit of peach.  The taste started with a light tartness up front that gives way to ripe peach flavors that has a surprisingly dry finish.  The wheat beer flavors were subtle but came through on the end and lingered on my palate.  The Festina Peche is not an overly sweet beer but the peach adds a subtle sweetness to this sour beer. Overall the it was a good Berliner Weisse that highlights and is accentuated by the peach flavors.

Dogfish Head Festina Peche