Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse

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 while the German edition would be Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse. 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, Schneider-Brooklyner 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. Here, however, hops play a dominant role in the end product: glorious, herbal Hallertauer Saphir hops burst forth from every sip. Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen-Weisse is dry-hopped to add aroma, too and is rated at an amazing 40 IBUs. The grain bill is not unusual at half wheat and barley malt. Alcohol content is 8.2% by volume, giving this brew the kick that the bock name implies.

As soon as I pop the cap off of my half-liter bottle of Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse, I get a whiff of glorious Teutonic-smelling hops wafting up to my nostrils. I’m using a bulbous Aventinus Weizenbock glass to decant into, and when I first pour a massive column of foam rises from top to bottom of the glass. Allowing this to settle a bit, I pour some more and my eyes are greeted by the classic murky yellow wheat beer hue topped off by a thick head of soapy-looking suds.

The nose is almost as hoppy as the first concentrated whiff I got when I popped the bottle cap, simply screaming fresh grassy hops and strongly entreats a sip. And that’s where you really get assaulted by the very phenolic, slightly grassy, very herbal minty hops.

Schneider-Brooklyner Hopfen Weisse is like no other wheat you’ve likely tasted before; it’s simply infused with hop flavor and aroma. Indeed, the hop character is strongly reminiscent of Orval. Underneath all the hops lies a refreshing crackery wheat body that is tart and delicious. The finish is tart, too, warm with alcohol and although much more bitter than any other wheat beer you’ve likely tasted, not as bitter as it might be: there is more of hop aroma than bitterness here, although the latter is definitely present.

A bargain at $4.50 a half-liter, and an absolutely phenomenal one at that. Don’t miss it.

Home