We get really excited when we can present you with a beer from the opposite side of the world, and that is so rare, it has less than four ratings on Ratebeer.com! It is also this month’s second barrel aged fruit sour, but a completely different beer. Instead of fresh oak, we see New Zealand’s terroir of water, barley, hops and naturally occurring yeast, added with blackcurrants before sitting for two years in Pinot Noir barrels. These barrels are likely readily available in a region where Pinot is king. What makes 8 Wired really interesting, is they were breaking ground in the craft beer world at a time where wine dominated. After contract brewing for years, they settled into their own brewery in 2004 and have now prestigiously been recognized as one of the Top 100 Brewers in the world from ratebeer.com. Enjoy this beauty at your leisure, and serve chilled to 10 C.
With fruit or barrel aging, we measure the starting beer, not the final product. While the beer itself is almost purple, with light lacing, and lots of carbonation, it is actually a lighter beer at its base.
The sweet smell of funk - that acidic, palate-whetting aroma caused by intentional yeast spoilage, or Brettanomyces, a natural yeast strand wine makers go out of their way to avoid, but beer makers love (when used right). This is an example of when it's done especially well.
This is an interesting tart bomb. Each sip starts off with the highly acidic profile described above, however, the undisclosed malt base from the brewer is most likely a pale barley malt and raw wheat to create the silky mouthfeel we start to feel on the tongue after the surge of sour off the top. Blackcurrant and Pinot flavours aren't hidden, but they're absolutely not overdoing it with any of the fruit accompaniment. Finishes off so wonderfully delicious, another sip is calling you.
The refreshing factor on this beer is so high that you need to think about lighter, summer classics like ceviche, lighter seafoods, oysters or mussels and funky cheeses to match the yeast would all do really well.