Mikkeller does it again: Non-Alcoholic Berliner Weisse

Ever since, Danish brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø is one of the pioneers when it comes to alcohol-free beer. Next step: a non ABV Berliner Weisse. MIXOLOGY’s Liv Fleischhacker was the first to talk with him about the intentions and the idea behind the beer. One thing’s for sure: The winter’s gonna be sour!

Known for carefully choosing his words and being in total control of his beers, I felt honored to be the recipient of the typical Mikkeller charm during my exchange with the infamous Danish brewer about his new, alcohol-free Berliner Weisse. Short on words, yet prompt in his replies he explained that alcoholic-free beers have been a part of the Mikkeller portfolio for a while now. They have a summer beer, an American Wheat, as well as a winter beer, which is a dark, Belgian style beer. “We are big fans of sour beers and Berliner Weisse so it was natural for us to test the possibilities of doing a non ABV one. It is obviously a style that has never been created before, which is also interesting”.

A NEW STYLE REVISITED

Interesting indeed. The Berliner Weisse has been around since at least the 16th century and is – to the dismay of purists – today typically enjoyed with either a raspberry or woodruff-flavored syrup, to balance out its acidity. As one might suspect, the Berliner Weisse originally hails from our country’s capital. It’s an old beer that tends to be very low in alcohol and has a reduced hop content. At the height of its popularity, in the 19th century, it was in production at more than 700 Berlin-based breweries. Today, besides several small start-ups Brewbaker or Berliner Berg, who’re doing or plan to do a classic-style Berliner Weisse, that number has been whittled down to a single one, which even isn’t a true one (because it lacks the characteristic “Brett”-yeast that originally causes a second fermentation): Berliner Kindl Weisse.

It was Napoleon who first dubbed the Berliner Weisse the “Champagne of the North” (sounds like a Game of Thrones reference, no?) during his occupation of the city in 1809. Mikkeller’s „Drink’in Berliner“, the low ABV version, isn’t as sour as some other examples of the style, with an undeniable funk common to most sour beers. It leaves your with a tartness on the tongue that hints at elderflower and lemons. We expect his non-alcoholic version to be similar and very refreshing, almost like a lemonade. Perfect for summer. Mikkeller himself enjoyed his very first Berliner Weisse at the top floor of the KaDeWe. As is contemporary tradition, his was served with syrup. Something that should never happen to a “real” Weisse.

ALCOHOL-FREE: THE NEW SMOOTHIE?

Alcohol-free beer seems to become a real trend within the international craft beer-circus, as more and more customers are heading out for alcohol-free, but tasty brewed concoctions. Since MIXOLOGY picked up the subject on our German site already back in july, a lot has happened. After Mikkeller and BrewDog, the Hamburg-based Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei recently announced the launch of their first non ABV India Pale Ale „ü.NN“, involving a special yeast grown at Berlin’s VLB – and they’re certainly not the last to come.

Though obviously taking inspiration from the Berliner Weisse, the recipe is one of Mikkeller’s originals – as if the Dane would have it any other way: asked for the specific yeast used for the brew, he simply points out to a “secret”. He describes the brew as a bit “beer geeky” and the goal is to distribute it in as many global markets as possible. Originally, Mikkeller’s alcohol-free Berliner Weisse was set to be released on December 1st and will be in production year round. According to operations manager Jacob Gram Alsing, the price of the beer is not finally set by now. We’ll keep you informed.