As Spring is settling and Summer is just around the corner, finding a quenching, delicious craft beer can be a challenge. Dogfish Head changed their recipe a bit for their Summer 2010 version of their Berliner Weissbier, Festina Pêche.

As Sam Calagione, owner of Dogfish, said in his 2010 “Sip Clip” for the Festina Pêche, they toned-down the tartness of the beer and brought the peach puree up. Considering I’ve never tasted any previous versions of their Pêche, I’ve got only the new 2010 bottle to judge from.

The pour into my pint glass was, holy crap, fizzy and heavily carbonated. It poured exactly like a soda would, expect for the fact it had absolutely zero head and no lacing. Even after it was poured, tons of bubbles stuck around and enveloped the rustic soft yellow color of the beer. The overall body was pale but some orange-golden hues were present, too.

Even as your pouring, the scents from this beer fill the air. I got a heavy scent of champagne fruits, which focused heavily on mashed, pureed peaches. The sweetness of the nose was evident, as was a musky, yet extremely tart, orange scent. Some mild hints of wheat are there, but it’s really the lambic-style fruit in this beer that dominates the nose.

The mouthful wasn’t really what I expected, a lot less tart and a lot less fruity than the nose made it out to be. The body is thin and light with overly strong carbonation. The benefit of this wild carbonation is that the fresh peaches get delivered to every crevice of your mouth, immersing you with flavor. The finish was like dry white wine with a slight tartness to the last bite. Lingering around after each sip is club soda and mild canned pineapple.

I can tell you now, this isn’t really my style. Considering it is a take on the Berliner Weissbier-style, I can’t really complain that it lacks a big malt or hop character, though this is what I tend to prefer in a “beer.” While it doesn’t seem to fit the bill of other beers I’ve tried, it certainly isn’t something to discount. On a beautiful summer day, I could see this being the ultimate refreshment (somewhat); cool, crisp, fruity and flavorful.

Overall: 6.8/10