SCHNEEEULE X MIKKELLER X THE BARN
Schneeeule is Berlin’s best kept beer secret no longer. An innocent “beer salon” is now the hottest kid on the block. How Ulrike Genz achieved such wonderful things with her Berlin Weisse Sour beer, we will explore in this write up. Find out how we got attracted by them, and why we ended up creating a beer with our beautiful Chelbesa Coffee from Ethiopia. And why Mikkeller hopped on to launch this beer with us on 25th November 2021.
BERLINER WEISSE HISTORY
What makes a Berliner Weisse so special? This magical beer is deeply rooted in the history of Berlin. Historians claim it was brought to Berlin in the 17th century by the Huguenots after the thirty-year war (1618 -1648). It was then that Frederick the Great issued the “Potsdam Edict of Tolerance” in October 1685, thus laying the foundation for the immigration of up to 20,000 Huguenots to Brandenburg and Berlin. The Huguenots not only brought their language and culture with them, but many of them were also urgently needed craftsmen who helped to revive the city. Lucky us: They also began producing a light wheat beer, which would soon take hold in the heart of Berliners. Using wine barrels brought from France and applying techniques to aging brewed beer: The “Workers People Champagne” was born. These sour beers were consumed as part of everyday life, in part due to the low quality of drinking water. It was also considered healthy due to its high wheat portion in the malt. Sweet syrups were commonly added as children often consumed Weisse daily, although the trend also became popular with adults looking to mask the sour taste. While poorer people often took home this beer in a bucket, overseas, beer traders were fashionably presenting this aged beer to the upper class. Weisse was being sipped internationally amongst all classes. The classic Berliner Weisse as we know it today, however, did fully not emerge until the 19th century when a two-step beer brewing technique was developed. A staggering one million hectares were produced by Berlin breweries and a special culture centered around this frothy beer was born. Which brings us to the present, a Berliner Weisse: redefined with coffee - the boundaries broken wide open.THE BEST OF BERLIN COLLABORATE
The coffee we chose to pair with this beer is Chelbesa from Ethiopia. It boasts distinguished flavours of peach, chocolate, and jasmine notes, with a silky body. Located in a small village with an altitude of over 2000 meters over sea level, red cherries are collected from an impressive 476 small producers who work in the surrounding area. Chelbesa complements the Berliner Weisse in a refreshing way and the ability to taste a range of flavours is a true reflection of craftsmanship at its best. Every great collaboration requires committed partners with distinct skills, and we could not have found better ones than with Schneeeule and Mikkeller. Predominately female founded and operated, Schneeelue is a respected and microbrewery founded in 2016 by master brewer, Ulrike Genz. As part of her degree at the TU Berlin, Ulrike studied the topic of the Berliner Weisse and has dedicated her craft to producing the original Berliner Weisse, with the goal to bringing back this important piece of culture to modern day Berlin. If you are in the world of brewing in Berlin, you know Schneeeule and what they stand for: a purist philosophy, quality, and great beer. No sweet syrups to mask the taste; a little sour and funky, now with delicate peach and jasmine coffee notes. It is a wonder to behold. Which leads us to the third part of this collaboration: Mikkeller. In 2003, Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, a math and physics teacher who loved beer started experimenting with brewing in his Copenhagen kitchen. Not long after, Mikkel had his own brewery in Copenhagen; one might we add was frequented by Ralf back in the day! Today, you will find Mikkeller craft beer in over fifty countries, with an equal number of bars and restaurants operated globally. Mikkeller is known internationally as an innovative and cutting edge-brewery.
Located in the heart of the Mitte district, you will find the Berlin Mikkeller location. With twenty-four beers on tap, Mikkeller serves the best craft beer available, period. The German brewing purity laws that dictated the ingredients allowed for beer enacted in 1516, (Reinheitsgebot) were lifted in 1993, and since then, the international craft beer movement has taken off in Germany. The beer servzed at Mikkeller is dynamic mix of both modern craft and traditional brews. The bottom line is: if it is good, you can find it at Mikkeller. Thus, it was only natural that we partnered with them to serve our Coffee Berliner Weisse. Available at Mikkeller November 25th 2021. Join us at our launch event in our old Roastery Café at Schönhauser Allee 8 on November 25th, 2021, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. Chat with Ralf and the team involved in brewing this unique beer from 3:00 p.m onwards. Bring your friends and experience this delicious beer with traditional Pfannkuchen from one of the most famous Berlin Bakeries. Prost!
