“Come in Grape, Your Time is Up’ is a seasonal series based around the grape harvest. In fall we collaborate with various wineries to create beers that blur the lines between wine and beer. In this version we partnered up with Castoro Cellars from Paso Robles, CA and used late harvest Muscat grapes. We first created a blend of one year old lambic-inspired base beer, then let that beer sit on the grape juice and must for 8 weeks to go through a secondary fermentation.”
Glassware: Stemmed tulip.
Appearance: Cloudy light yellow to golden complexion with no head. Almost looks like a NEIPA!
Aroma: We can certainly get the muscat grapes. They offer that distinct raisiny character while notes of floral honey and this almost dessert wine-like sweetness can also be picked up. Really strong impressions of oak coming through. Maybe just a hint of lacto sourness with its candied lemon/lime and subtle vinegar. Intriguing!
Flavour: It’s like grape juice-infused slightly sour lemon soft drink…if there was such a thing! Not getting as much dominance from the muscat grapes – it presents as more of a vinous tartness with a bit of sweaty/manky funk. A bit of a peppery spice through the middle with either peach or melon (or both) forming the finish.
Mouthfeel: Fizzy and rather light on. It hides the 8.5% AbV incredibly well. Mild-moderate body. Matches this 30+ degree heat perfectly!
Overall: It’s one of those beers that passes muster but won’t be all that memorable. There’s a hefty price tag on it too! Not bad.