It's been a while – three years, if our record-keeping is in decent shape – since we last made our acquaintance with Biru from Sailors Grave, a beer fermented on sake kasu (lees*) and finished with satsuma plums. The beer returns slightly altered from its 2020 iteration, a little higher in alcohol content and now in 440ml cans too.
While the liquid started out as a "pale tart beer", it's testament to the impact of the fruit that by the time it reaches your glass Biru pours a crimson red. With satsuma plums among the sweeter, less sharp plum varieties, the experience brings to mind sweeter cherries and berries as much as the memories of childhood plum consumption while on holiday on the Med. Kasu/lees-yeast derived fruity esters round things out, dimming much of the tartness in the base beer, leaving you with a rather easygoing fruity refresher.
James Smith
*Sake kasu is the filtered residue from the production of sake, and is often used to give food a sweet and savoury character.
LAUNCH PARTY! Taste the beer first at Bonny in Fitzroy on February 17, 2023.
Published February 15, 2023 2023-02-15 00:00:00
