Grand Teton Brewing has been brewing bold, flavorful beers and serving them as part of our Cellar Reserve Series since March 2004. Some of these Cellar Reserve brews have been so popular with both employees and patrons that we decided to bring three of them back as yearly offerings in our seasonal program.

In Berliner Weisse we think we’ve found the perfect style for our summer seasonal. This north German-style wheat beer is traditionally brewed and released very fresh. It has a light body from the wheat and a refreshingly tart acidity that make it a perfect summer thirst-quencher. Its lemony tartness is provided by fermentation with Lactobacillus, the same microorganism that’s responsible for yogurt’s tang. That tartness increases and improves with age, so the people of Berlin are known to buy extra bottles to bury in their gardens for two years or more.

We’ve taken a traditional style and added our own twist; we’ve tripled the strength over the traditional beer, which will increase its aging potential. For this beer, we initially brewed small batches of Berliner Weisse and fermented them at warm temperatures entirely with Lactobacillus. This allows the complex sourness and zesty tang to develop over several months. Once we achieved our desired level of sourness, we brewed larger batches of Berliner Weisse and fermented them with traditional Bavarian Hefeweizen yeast. This yeast produces soft notes of banana and clove and is a great compliment to the sour tang of Lactobacillus. When both beers were finished fermenting, we blended them to create our final product. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

This summertime ale should be served cold. It can be served in the traditional fashion with the option of raspberry or woodruff syrups. Our Berliner Weisse will perfectly compliment spicy salmon filets from the grill and can wash down your savory BBQ pork ribs with ease. Enjoy with a fresh arugula salad or salty french fries with blue cheese dressing for dipping. For dessert, try grilled pineapple drizzled with honey.