Berliner Weisse

"Ohne Schuss???!!?!?!!!?!???????!?!?!?!?!!?!??!?!!!???!?!?!?!?!?" The question is asked with great incredulity, and even suspicion if you are a foreigner. Does this idiot know what he's asking for? Such is the response when you request to drink Berlin's and possibly Germany's finest beer without the addition of red or green syrup.
And there you have it: an enormous portion of the beer drank in Germany is exceedingly bland and tedious, and yet they consider it to be the finest in the world. And then, when it comes to an excellent beer like Berliner Weisse, what do they do? Turn it into an alcopop. You just couldn't make it up.
Even the tourist literature tries to put you off: one pocket Berlin guide opines "Unfortunately Berlin's one native beer, Berliner Weisse, is only palatable with the addition of a fruit cordial". They must have a different definition of "palatable" to me, as with Schuss it tastes like a Creme de Menthe or something, and with the addition of the straw that they serve it with, it could well be Mark Almond's go to beer when in Germany.
The first time I tried it without this noxious addition, I braced myself for what I expected would be a mouth puckering sourness, and yet it isn't even remotely in the same ballpark as a Geuze. In fact the sourness is quite mild, and makes it a nice gentle quaffing experience.

Wernigerode

"Who lives in that castle?"
"What castle, I don't see no castle..."
"That's because you're not looking, idiot."

If you're a Hammer Horror geek you'll recognise this classic dialogue from "Dracula Prince of Darkness". All the best Hammer films feature a castle, which the locals refuse to talk about or acknowledge, towards which destiny inexorably draws the protagonists. This one is just begging to have a certain Count resident there. But you don't need ghostly unmanned coach and horses to carry you there. This yellow fella will wisk you there without making you stay the night and join the undead, unless you miss the last one back that is.

More evidence that North Germany has a more interesting beer scene than Bavaria was presented with the presence of an Altbier on the menu of a Chinese restaurant: Diebels Alt.

The two previous Altbiers I'd tried, Um Uerige and Pinkus, made a very favourable impression. Unfortunately this one didn't: I renamed it Diebels Cola. Too much carbonation, too little flavour and too sweet.

They drank too much Diebels Alt

At last I got to try a Berliner Weisse... I resisted the urge to drink it with a cocked little finger. Is the straw how they drink it in Berlin?

This is with the raspberry syrup option... it tasted a bit like a sparkling wine spritzer.  I'll reserve judgment on the beer until I can try it without the raspberry, as I could only detect a very faint sourness.