Where did February go? One day it was Groundhog Day and the next it was Valentine’s Day. The daylight hours are getting longer but unfortunately it doesn’t mean we have more hours in the day.
Have you heard we have our first Sour on tap? Many people who aren’t necessarily beer drinkers enjoy a Sour beer so that is why we now have one on tap. If you haven’t tried it then be sure to ask a beertender for a taste the next time you are in the taproom.
From our brewer Evan-To be clear this is a kettle sour sometimes referred to as a quick sour and not a barrel aged sour which takes years to make. In order to make a kettle sour we first mash in and lauter as we would with any other beer but instead of boiling and adding hops we inoculate our wort with souring bacteria similar to the cultures found in yogurt. In the case of this beer we made a culture from the beneficial microorganisms living on our own malt! This is pretty badass. Instead of going to the store and buying lactobacillus or pediococcus cultures we grew them ourselves! We then took that culture and added it to the wort in our kettle allowing it to sour for about 50 hours until the pH was in a delightfully tart range. Once the acidity is where we like it we boil the wort, add hops, chill and ferment as usual. After fermentation we added 84lbs of Apricot Puree, 84lbs of Mango puree and 84lbs of Peach puree- 252lbs of pure fruit total! The result is a highly sessionable, tart and fruity brew with a pleasant cereal finish to remind you it is in fact a beer. This beer is diplomatic in every way. It is not too bitter, not too sour, not too fruity, so much so that it’s lack of assertiveness in any direction is probably its greatest fault! Next time we are going to add a lot more fruit! As you would imagine the key flavours are the stone fruits which we added post fermentation. Peach, Mango, and Apricot- P.M.A. Sour. The name was inspired by the boundary waters. P.M.A. ‘s are primitive management areas of the BWCA which as the name states, are unmaintained areas of the wilderness. It also happens to work as an acronym for the three fruits used in this beer.Sour beers are great offerings to folks who don’t like “beer” but are still tolerant of gluten. Wine and Cider lovers often gravitate towards these beers since they are more acidic, drier and a bit of a departure from conventional American beers.
Malt:Maltwerks Pilsner Rahr White Wheat Rahr Unmalted Wheat
Hops: Huell Melon, Eukanot ABV: 4.8% SRM: 3.5 IBU: 24
We would love to see you in our taproom. We have a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan in place and are following the guidelines put forth by the government.
- Up to 6 people at a table
- Ensure a minimum of 6 feet of distance between tables
- Operate at 50% capacity
- Guests must remain seated at tables
- Workers are required to wear masks when engaging with guests and guests must wear masks indoors while not actively eating or drinking.
Please practice social distancing and be considerate of others especially while in the entryway of the taproom. We appreciate your help.