One fine day, two of the world's best brewers had an idea. The two, Garrett Oliver of New York's Brooklyn Brewery and Hans-Peter Drexler of Germany's Schneider Brauerei decided to combine forces on two very special beers, beers that would be a departure from anything brewed before. They would share some basic characteristics, yet would feature local hops to distinguish one version from the other.

Even the names would be variations one on the other: the American brewed version bearing the prefix Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse while the German edition would be Schneider-Brooklyner . Both would be a new style to the brewing world: a pale weissbock, or pale wheat bock beer. To be sure, wheat bock is not a new style, and the Schneider brewery produces one of the finest in Aventinus Weizenbock . But that beer is styled on a dark bock, while this concoction is much lighter in color.

Then too, Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse would feature hops (hopfen-weisse means hopped wheat, after all). This too was something new and different, since most wheat beers have relatively low hopping rates, and use the tangy, tart character of wheat to balance off the sweetness of the barley malt.

While Schneider's beer is sold in half-liter bottles, Brooklyn's version comes in much heftier 750 ML corked crowned glass. While a bit pricey at $13 a bottle, it should be mentioned that this rare treat is worth every penny. And really, wine lovers pay lost more for their special treasures than beer aficionados have to shell out for this.

As I did the honors for my bottle of Schneider-Brooklyner in a Schneider Aventinus beer glass, it's only fitting that I use a towering Brooklyner Weisse glass for the Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse. Removing the golden crown cap ever so gently, embossed as it is with the elegant Brooklyn brewery logo, I next proceed to pull the cork from the bottle. Stubbornly, it resists my efforts, but finally yields with a resounding "Pop!".

I watch a few wispy tendrils of gas emerge from the bottle, then decant into my glass. I'm only able to get a bit of liquid in, as a colossal head of rocky foam rises quickly to the top. But I allow it to settle, and continue to fill my glass with beer. The beer is dark yellowish orange in color with a very citrusy, bright orangey hop nose. That makes it less pale than its Schneider brewed sibling. When I do sip, a thick layer of Brussels lace clings to the sides of my glass.

That sip reveals a full, luscious body of dark, nutty sweet malt tempered by tons of hops. The hops really serve to mask the malty chocolate and the yeasty clove and banana, but if you don't drink the beer overly chilled you'll definitely be able to pick them out. Really, with a bottle of this size, it's not hard to let the beer warm as you sip if you're drinking alone.

That said, it's still the hops that dominate, which is unusual for the style. But unlike the Schneider-Brooklyner (which is brewed with German Hallertaus), the Brooklyner-Schneider is made with American Amarillos and Palisades. The Amarillos, a Cascade variant, impart the citric elements, while the Palisades lend a grassier note similar to the Hallertaus in the German version.

Up front I get more of the citrusy hops, but in the finish a lot more of the grassy kind. The mix of fruity orange and grapefruit with herbal, grassy aroma (not to mention clove, banana, chocolate, crackery wheat, and a subtle hint of caramel) makes this one complex beer, indeed. And of course the alcohol departs a lingering warmth to go with the drying hop bitterness, too.

Compared to the Schneider-Brooklyner, it's a maltier beer I think, and certainly has a different hop character. But I think the hops are more impressive in the German version, probably for the same reason. Brooklyn's version is also a little stronger, at 8.5% alcohol by volume to 8.2% for the Schneider beer.

I think I prefer the German brew, but they're both delightful, and you can't go wrong with either one.

 

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 

 



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