Sour beers have certainly taken the spotlight in the last few years. Shining commitments and works of some of the smartest and craftiest people of all. These beers are produced by breweries making one or two casks of beers at a time wedged into single rooms like Casey Brewing and Blending as well as large regional breweries like New Belgium which have doubled down on the prevalence of sour beer and the rather small amount most breweries can produce. Bright, tart, acidic, fruity are just a few of the words to describe this branch of the beer family tree. Sometimes produced with singular focus; becoming a breweries entire production, and other times becoming an ever increasing overlap of a particularly dedicated brewer.
I get the feeling that older chefs and others who play in the arts and craft of food and fermentation have known for along time that acidic foods hold a special place on our plate. Balsamic vinegar, dried fruit, lemon juice, citrus zest, are all examples of foods that have a huge impact on our daily eating habits. I’m not sure that trying to create a sour beer was so much of an awakening for us, as it has instead become an opportunity. A challenge of flavor, a challenge of blending, shaping, and creating something with frankly a huge amount of techincal guesswork. Our sour beer story took nearly three years of development to reach your glass today and still has leaps and bounds to go as we look forward into the continuation of our sour barrel program.
Brewmanji is our first but surely not our last barrel aged sour beer. It started life as a porter brewed with blackberries, chili peppers, and cane sugar. Destined to be aged in a barrel it was transferred on top of nearly a pound of blackberry fruit per gallon of beer, and pitched with wild yeast, and acid producing bacteria. Aged for an additional year in oak casks the beer went through many changes and transitions until it was finally ready to blend and prepare for consumption. Now it contains a wonderful balance of acidity, fresh purple berry and cherry aromas, and a nice tight drinkability with just enough residual sugar to balance the beer and hints of spice in the underlying malt base. We know this will be one of the best beers you have all year, and are excited to celebrate this release with you. It will be at least another year until we have something else similar to offer so I suggest you get in as quick as you can and enjoy a sip of this sour in your glass. Brain tingling for one, and brain tingling for all!
~J~
“While color lights up your face”
June 2018
Tasting Notes:
Visual : Opaque, Brown with brown tints. Dense lasting tan head, maybe some hint of purple
Aroma : Funk, Acid, Rich Berry, purple fruit, red cherry
Taste : Spice, Berries, Rich Fruit, Residual Sugar, Tart, Balanced.
ABV 5%
IBU : None