Review: 2 Crows x Change is Brewing Good News Berliner-style Weisse w. Mango & Raspberry


Today I'm checking out Good News Berliner-style Weisse w. Mango & Raspberry by 2 Crows Brewing collaborated with Halifax's Change is Brewing, which a BIPOC collective diversifying the craft beer one sip at a time. 

Good News is brewed with water, barley, wheat, raspberry, mango, hops, yeast, lactobacillus. 3.1% ABV / 0 IBU

Appearance: It has a very sweet-looking raspberry juice appearance to it - a deep dark reddish body. Close to no clarity in the body, moderate amount of carbonation and the head is very faint with a light pink hue to it - the bubbles are mostly at the side, close to the glass.

Aroma: A tad soapy right from the beginning (specifically: Ivory). There's a slight sweetness to it (predominantly raspberry) but it's more tart than anything, with the tartness having a profile I can't really describe.. it's not vinegary like some sours, rather it's more of a natural fruit sour presence.. perhaps a tartness coming from the mango? I don't know. Moderate amount of graininess at the end that's more barley than wheat.

Taste: Decently tart Berliner with raspberry being the main flavour for both the sweetness but also the tartness. The mango is something I really don't get in the tasting but I think there's a flavour trying to creep up that's likely the mango but it's incredibly faint. There's a light hint of barnyard funkiness popping up, complimenting the tart presence of the beer. Lots of grain in the background, lots of memories of eating grain right out of the field as a child going on in my mind right now due to this. Moderate amount of dryness to it, tart sharpness tingling the tongue and a hint of a raspberry presence for aftertaste.

Overall Thoughts: I'll probably never grow on sours, especially Berliner Weisse-style beers, but this is solid. It's got a lot of raspberry that not only give the beer its tartness, but also its sweetness. It's a bit heavy on the stomach, especially at 3.1% ABV but tasty for being such a low ABV! I wanted to see a much larger punch from the mango, so that was underwhelming, but the raspberries alone did well for me, but whenever I see mangos listed, I expect it to be full on mangolicious!

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