Red and green beer in Berlin
I’m mean. Every time I take someone to Berlin, I make them try a Berliner Weisse mit Schuss. This is basically bad beer with a shot of fruity syrup, and can be ordered rot (red) or grün (green). The red syrup is usually raspberry flavored, while the green is Waldmeister, or woodruff (not that I have ever heard of woodruff in English), a flavorful herb.
To add insult to injury, this sweet, colorful beer is consumed through a straw. When someone orders one of these, the appropriate response is to point and laugh. But if you’re a first-time tourist in Berlin, consider a Berliner Weisse part of your rights of passage, and order one. You can find them on many a bar menu, usually in touristy locales. Suck it down quick, and then order yourself a real beer.
Photo credit: personal collection.
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