I had seen Brooklyn’s BLAST! on the list but hadn’t heard about it previously, which is odd for a hometown brewer that I keep an eye on. Calling your beer a “San Diego Style IPA” is pretty bold, which is never a problem for Garrett Oliver, but delivering on such a claim is a whole ‘nother thing. I was definitely psyched to check it out since Green Flash’s IPA has been in heavy fridge rotation for me lately, but sadly this guy didn’t come close. There was enough hop aroma on the nose for sure, but mostly piney, and there was a woody and musty undertone that was immediately unsettling. Hop flavor was piney as well and very bitter, not balanced at all by any malt sweetness, and there was a bit of sourness to the brew as well that didn’t play at all. Total bummer vibe.

Another interesting item on the brew list for me was Magic Hat’s “experimental” Berliner Weiss, which they were serving with a squirt of either raspberry or woodruff syrup. I’ve been trying to get a handle on this style lately so I was definitely interested to see the perspective that an American craft brewer could bring to it. I tried it first without the syrup and had to take 3 sips to be sure I tasted anything. It did smell a bit sour, but the flavor was insipid, mildly wheaty if anything. The woodruff syrup wholly obliterated any flavor that might have been present and didn’t add to my enjoyment of the brew at all. Oh well, back to German Berliners.

I decided that giving the previously reviewed Southern Tier Cherry Saison another shot on draft would be a good way to see if the other brew dogs’ opinions about this one still held true. They did. On draft the oddness of the cherries on the nose seemed to be magnified. Flavor was still pretty straightforward saison, but I couldn’t get past the nose. Perhaps it was mental, but now that I’ve given this one it’s fair shake I’m ready to move on in the Southern Tier world. (Perhaps to this years Uber Sun, where is it guys?)

Stay tuned for the good stuff. And damn was there some good stuff.

But I digress, down to the Brew. Oliver’s fame and outspoken nature has allowed him to collaborate with one of the most well regarded German breweries of our time, Schneider, who’s famous Weisse beer (touted by Ceeg and Beth as “maybe the greatest Weisse Beer of all time”) is an absolute institution of summer brewdom here in the BK. The story goes that after a long friendship with Schneider’s brewmaster, who appreciated Oliver’s use of Dry-Hopping and non-traditional moves, Oliver flew to Germany, and the two worked on some ideas for a beer that could be brewed in America and hopped with American hops, and then in Germany with local hops, in the same style. Two beers resulted, a “Brooklyn-Schneider,” and a “Schneider-Brooklyner,” which reflect where the beer was made.

I’ll let someone else talk about the “Brooklyn-Schneider” version, which certainly has its merits, but as a newly bottled run of the “Schneider-Brooklyner” came out just recently and is making the rounds of local shops, I thought I would write about it. Basically, I absolutely love it. It came out at the perfect time, when the warm weather is creeping and you long to down some seriously refreshing beers and still not have to drink to many to get warmed up. This beer pours with an amazing creamy and rich looking head, which my wife says looks like whipped cream and I can’t say I disagree. Small bubbles, a rich golden color, and an amazing spicy, sweet, faintly bubblegummy smell all make this an enormously attractive beer even before you take a sip. Oh, and to put the glass up to your mouth, huff it, and go for it! Man! Truly great Weisse beer is such a treat, and the addition of the Hoppy character really speaks to me, and I know I speak for the other three Brew Dogs when I say that this is one of the most successful things Brooklyn has had its name on in a while. This beer has the right amount of body, the perfect amount of drinkability, and remains interesting throughout. Grab one of these and one of the Brooklyn versions and compare them side by side — you won’t be disappointed. Germany keeps on makin it!