When pioneer beer writer Michael Jackson went hunting for wheat beers in Germany, he discovered liquid treasure: an underappreciated and historic style of ale with a lactic bite so powerful that locals felt its sharp flavor should be cut with sweet syrup.
The wheat beers brewed around Berlin have been appreciated as far back as Napoleon’s time, his troops dubbing them “the champagne of the North.” Jackson remarked that when he asked to sample the beer in its unsweetened form, “I have sometimes been viewed as a madman. The syrups are considered necessary to moderate the intensity of the acid, although it has its own charm….”
Whether in historic Germany or contemporary American renditions, this style of beer, dubbed Berliner weisse, is beloved by fans and shunned by detractors even today.
Jackson went a step further and predicted the perfect pairing of Berliner weisses with the Sunshine State. In his beer guide, he posited a match made in heaven: “Berliner weisse beers are exceptionally thirst quenching, in much the same way as…lime juice in Florida.”
Jackson’s comment now seems prophetic. Though this style originated across an ocean, it has indeed made its way to the southernmost (and hottest) state in the U.S.
While Berliner weisses are perfect hot-weather beers, brewers in Florida have taken the concept of using sweet syrups and flavors to a new level. Southern brewers now incorporate those flavors into the beer prior to fermentation. This practice results in an uber-tart, low-pH wheat beer with striking color and large body, while maintaining the low alcohol presence of a Berliner weisse. These beers may be born of Berlin, but they are quite different from their old-country parent versions.