Wine Snobs, There’s a Beer for You
One wine aficionado had given up on finding an ale she actually liked. And then she tasted the Fritz Briem Berliner Weisse 1809, and everything changed. Beer is the world’s most popular alcoholic beverage and nearly the oldest, second only to Mead. It dates back to the early Neolithic Era, around 9500 BC. Everyone from the ancient Greeks to the ancient Romans, and even King Charlemagne (namesake of the great Corton-Charlemagne vineyard in Burgundy) sipped some form of the cereal-based brew once consumed for hydration, because potable water didn’t exist. Beer is inextricably linked to civilization.
As I began a career in wine, I appreciated the history and context it offered. I loved the stories the winemakers shared and the way wine connected people with geography and with each other. Aside from a short stint working with the indefatigable Sam Lipp (now General Manager at Union Square Cafe), beer seemed impersonal. The kind of beers that intrigued me (Milk Stouts, Saisons, Trappist Ales) were not as accessible in my world or as versatile with the foods I like to eat. So I focused on wine, sake, sometimes spirits — and didn’t even think to miss beer.
A few months ago, my friend and I decided to have dinner at a popular restaurant in Williamsburg that does not accept dinner reservations. We chose a rainy Saturday night when diners were reluctant to leave their tables and head out into the bad weather. With a two-hour wait to kill, we went next door to a beer hall called Spuyten Duyvil (which means “Spitting Devil” and is known for its impressive beer collection). We had no choice but to order beer.
That moment led to a revelation. My friend had ordered a beer before I arrived. As I organized my umbrella and shed my dripping coat, she sipped something golden and opaque from a tall pint glass. Reading the expression on my face that must have conveyed something like “surely I can get a margarita at this place?” gently explained that I should try her beer. That it was good.
So I tasted it. And my world changed. I ordered the same beer she had, and for the next two hours, we drank this refreshing brew: Fritz Briem Berliner Weisse “1809.” It is a glorious German wheat beer that refreshed and enlivened our palates and, as I would learn later after drinking it to the point of obsession, it also happens to have an intriguing history.
The Professor Fritz Briem Berliner Weisse “1809” is a beer made with 50 percent wheat mash in the exact same style as one that Napoleon drank. It is made, as the label narrates “with traditional mash hopping and without wort boiling.” It is unpasteurized and unfiltered, and the wort reaches the boiling point but never boils. The beer is a lovely golden color—slightly opaque, reminiscent of an aged Austrian Reisling, or even an older white Burgundy, and it is fresh! It offers a citrusy brightness — lemon peel, fresh lemon juice and kaffir lime, hints of basil and floral notes like edelweiss and chamomile. It is not overtly hoppy, and the herbaceous, citrusy notes replace any bitter ones.
Napoleon is quoted on the label calling this very recipe “lively and elegant.” Supposedly, he and his troops drank it after defeating the Prussian army in 1809. They loved it and dubbed it the “Champagne of the North.”
This moment kickstarted a dormant curiosity within me. Berliner Weisse represented the wine drinker’s beer — a perfect springtime beverage for people looking for something seriously refreshing, quaffable, and nuanced. Since then, I’ve been on a hunting spree, searching for more beers that offer these qualities. And the good news: they exist in spades. So wine lovers, this one’s for you.
Written by Jordan Salcito
For product information please visit Professor Fritz Briem Berliner Weisse 1809