When you order a beer, you generally don’t expect the server to respond by asking if you’d like it to be red or green. That is, unless you’re in Berlin. Particularly if you’re in an area that’s popular with tourists. Recently syrup in Berliners has been a sort of symbol of anti-craft among the “serious” beer community, especially in the German capital itself. The backlash has relegated it to a frowned-upon drink only purchased by tourists, and Berliner Weisses have enjoyed a syrup-less revival by craft brewers in Berlin and beyond. But the sticky-sweet serving style isn’t completely history. Around late 2018, KCBC in Brooklyn, New York started offering its Naked Zombie, a simple Berliner, with optional syrups in several flavors. You can also spot the practice at Sidetrack Brewing in Albuquerque, Black Acre Brewing Co. in Indianapolis, and Brieux Carré Brewing Company in New Orleans. So why is it that craft brewers at some well-regarded craft breweries in the U.S. are dabbling with adding those syrups back? To get the full picture, you need to look at the history of the Berliner and understand why it got syrupy in the first place. Germany’s famous Reinheitsgebot went into effect in 1516 and has been credited throughout history as the reason for German beer’s stellar reputation. The law originally stated that barley, hops, and water (later yeast was added) were the only ingredients brewers could use in their beer. Though the primary purpose was to protect the price of wheat for the sake of bakers, it had the historic effect of protecting consumers from beer being made with cheap and/or unsafe additives, and over the last 500 years the law has only made a handful of allowances and exceptions for other types of grain and ingredients. That means it was impossible—and today is still a probable headache with brewers having to apply for a permit to divert from the Reinheitsgebot—for German brewers to add other ingredients, like fruit, that might complement or balance the natural tartness of Berliners, during the brewing process. Hence, the addition of syrup, added at the time of serving, was really the only way to make Berliners more approachable to those who were unfamiliar with or not fond of the sour taste.

The addition of fruit to Berliners during the brewing process by American brewers has opened the category and turned many beer drinkers onto the old German style.”

This has never been an issue for American brewers. As U.S. breweries revive and experiment with Berliners and other sour styles, they’ve been able to add fruit to their tart beers from the very beginning. A fruited sour is arguably easier to find in the U.S. than a naked one. Layton Culter, head brewer of Angel City Brewing in Los Angeles, understands the appeal of marrying sour beers with fruit. “The addition of fruit to Berliners during the brewing process by American brewers has opened the category and turned many beer drinkers onto the old German style,” Cutler said. “Berliner Weisse lends itself very well to fruit flavors because of its light acidity and low alcohol, which both contribute to making it a very refreshing beer, especially satisfying on a hot day.” But Cutler also notes that while Angel City has dabbled in fruited sours, he prefers making an unadulterated Berliner to showcase the team’s skill. But in essence, fruited sours are doing today what syrup did for Berliners by tempering its unusual characteristics and making it approachable for a wider audience. So the question arises: if American brewers are able to add whatever they want to flavor their beers, unbound by the Reinheitsgebot, why are some opting to add syrup to their Berliners? The answer seems to be based half in practicality and half in taste. Because some styles of sour beer can be very resource-intensive to produce, especially for small breweries that want to offer a well-rounded list of styles, it’s often not feasible to have several sours in production at a time. Given limited space and equipment, using syrup is a way to offer the same beer to suit different tastes. Angel City has served its Berliner with syrup (mango and pomegranate) from time to time. “I am very proud of our Berliner Weisse and I like giving the taproom patrons a choice of a standalone version to appreciate the style, or with a syrup addition if someone wants more sweetness to balance out that tartness from the beer,” Cutler said. He also noted that having the syrupy option can make the Berliner, or beer in general, more approachable for patrons who don’t think of themselves as beer fans.