When berries are in season, you might be advised to stock up quickly because Jade at the Wheaty Brewing Corps may otherwise beat you to the stash. She loves berries in beer for the flavours they impart on the final product and uses them a lot: saisons, kettle sours, sour stouts and Berliner weisse have been met with a flurry of raspberries, blackberries and sometimes both.
This creation for summer 2017/18, Heaps Berry Saison, is the fruited version of their lacto-inoculated kettle sour saison. Berries aren’t the only extra addition, with South Australian Blue Gum honey added atop a malt bill of pilsner, flaked oats, flaked wheat and acidulated malt.
The final result is bubbling with berries throughout, from the appearance to the aroma to the taste. Glowing orange in the glass with a pink tinge, Heaps Berry's aroma is all about the raspberries and the blackberries plus a few yeast-derived esters hanging around. A zingy, lemon tang joins the berries to taste with the beer hitting the front of the tongue with an effervescent sprightliness. There's a tartness too, albeit subdued, allowing the berries to claim centre stage.
Matt King
Published January 11, 2018 2018-01-11 00:00:00