Tasting

What glass do you drink Berliner Weisse from? From the Schale, an open, shallow glass with a long stem, barely distinguishable from a wine glass. In beer gardens, you'll often get a straw with it. It emphasizes the drink's summery character, though it also strips away some of the beer's aromas.

Served pure, the Weisse tastes sharply fresh, with lemon, yogurt and a trace of grain. The foam is short-lived, the carbonation fine, the finish dry. With raspberry syrup comes a fruity note that rounds out the acidity; with woodruff, a herbaceous, slightly artificial sweetness. First-time tasters notice: the beer stays sour—the syrup only softens it.

Chilled is good, but not ice-cold, so the aromas don't disappear. The syrup shouldn't be stirred in when pouring; let it slowly rise through the beer instead. If you want your Weisse pure, just order it that way—the shot is a matter of taste, not a requirement.

Good examples include Berliner Kindl Weisse, the Radeberger Group's widely available brand, and Schneeeule Marlene at 3.0 percent from Wedding, made according to historical methods per the brewery. For comparison, try a Berliner Pilsner from Berliner Kindl or Schultheiß, which comes across drier and more bitter. It's worth checking the label too: that's the only place to find the exact alcohol content, since individual figures belong on the bottle, not in a chart. What matters most is drinking slowly and tasting the acidity sip by sip.