Judge's Review: 92 Rating - Notorious P.O.G. Berliner Weisse by Stone Brewing Co.

Notorious P.O.G. Berliner Weisse by Stone Brewing Co. is a Berliner Weisse style ale with added passion fruit, orange and guava. Evaluated as a Fruit Beer (Category 29A) with a base beer style of Berliner Weisse (Category 23A) from the 2015 BJCP Guidelines. This beer excels at smelling great and tasting appropriately tart. The chalky finish and the biting acidic mouthfeel are out of balance to showcase the fresh wheat, citrus and tropical flavors.

The beer’s aroma is a blend of moderately intense passion fruit, guava, freshly picked strawberries followed by mouthwatering lemon peel and creamy freshly-milled white wheat flour. As it warms, pineapple and orange juice aromas emerge. Notorious P.O.G.’s head is an attractive 2” creamy white head that persists leaving thick lace on the glass. It sits on an opaque dull gold-colored beer. Notorious P.O.G.’s flavor is initially dominated by its mouthwatering dry crisp acidity. After a few tastes, flavors of passion fruit and white fluffy bread start to rise to the surface, though they are still pushed back down by a chalky finish.

Overall, Notorious P.O.G. has a very fresh and tropical aroma. You have to adjust to this beer’s acidity and chalkiness, then it can come off quite refreshing and light. It craves rich food to cut through with its mouthwatering acidity and tropical flavors. Drinking this beer makes me crave a Hawaiian mixed plate with kalua pork and laulau.