8 Wired Cucumber Hippy Berliner Weisse

Hmm... For a guy who thought I wasn't really into sour beers, I keep raving about every one I taste. This is another really pleasant drop, which kind of took my surprise. The can reads "remixed with cucumbers... soured by live cultures and hopped with American and New Zealand hops". I was kind of expecting a big US and NZ hoppy aroma sour beer with a hint of cucumber (so hops number 1, sour number 2, cucumber number 3), but I think actually it was more like cucumber first, then bitter and lager kind of beery and then a hint of sour at the end. But that worked really well. The cucumber is very notable, but oddly pleasant. And the sour is present, but fairly subtle compared to most sours I've had recently - meaning it was unmistakably a beer (while some sours I've tasted seem to be more like cider than beer). 

While there was a reasonable bitterness, the hops flavours were fairly well hidden (although maybe just sneaking through) - which is not what I expected after reading about US and NZ hops being in the mix. From memory (and from what I wrote), the Hippy Berliner, which was an IPA/sour cross had a bit more notable hop presence... It may be that the hop aromas just became less notable under the cucumber? I might have to have them side by side one day and update this. 

 In summary, it wasn't what I was expecting, but in a good way, and it blew my mind. I really liked it!

8wired.co.nz

ABV: 4.0%

Brewery: 8 Wired

Region: Matakana

Style: Berliner Weisse / Sour beer

Wife Check: "Wow, you can really taste the cucumber!"

Drinking Song: China Girl by David Bowie