From the Beer Writer: With a business plan that’s built around packaged distribution of a steadfast line of core beers, most people know Mission Brewery by standards like its Blonde, Hefeweizen and Shipwrecked Double IPA. But there’s more to this reincarnation of this San Diego brand of yesteryear. They brew a number of one-offs that, for the most part, have only been sample-able at their Petco Park-sidling brewery and tasting room. Of late, those specialty ales have begun trickling to local accounts, providing a deeper dive into Mission’s portfolio. Recently, I came across the company’s imperial Berliner weisse. Dubbed Maiden Voyage and infused with cherries, the beer comes in at 6.5% (rather sizeable by BW standards, hence the “imperial” descriptor). Light-bodied and highly drinkable, it comes on strong with Berliner weisse’s calling card lemon tartness, but the cherries influence the overall flavor, morphing it into something that slightly resembles a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc. Definitely no fruit syrup needed for this voyage.
From the Brewer: “We all enjoy sour beers and had been toying with the idea of delving into them for some time. Rather than getting into the long-term Belgian-style sours, we opted to make a traditional German style—something that fits right within our lineup. We played around and created a test batch of this beer in our small seven-barrel tanks to perfect this style, which we had never attempted. The test batch went over well and our tasting room visitors had the opportunity to try it and give us feedback before we ramped up to the large batch, which was 90 barrels. This beer was brewed using the traditional method of the sour mash to allow natural souring of the wort prior to the boil. Cherry purée was added directly to the fermentation tank to mimic the flavored sugar syrups traditionally served with this style to counter the substantial sourness. The result was Mission’s San Diego twist on the traditional German style—a pale, tart, and incredibly refreshing beer; our ‘Maiden Voyage’ into sours.” —John Egan, Head Brewer. Mission Brewery