Our latest sour beer celebrates one of Britain's lesser-known berries: the chuckleberry.
Brewed to celebrate our 12th birthday on 4th July, this deliciously light and tart sour is made with real Chuckleberries using a technique usually found in winemaking rather than beer brewing! Packed with juicy berry character and vibrant acidity, this small-batch sour is on at the taproom in July and on the webshop in bottles.
What Are Chuckleberries?
Chuckleberries are a lesser-known hybrid fruit, a cross between a redcurrant, a gooseberry, and a jostaberry (itself a blackcurrant and gooseberry hybrid). Deep red/purple in colour, they combine the tart freshness of gooseberries with the rich, jammy flavours of blackcurrants and blackberries.
Carbonic Maceration:
To get as much flavour as possible from the Chuckleberries, we used a process called carbonic maceration before juicing.
If you're a fan of wine, you might already be familiar with the term from the famous Beaujolais wines. In winemaking, carbonic maceration involves placing grapes into a vessel filled with carbon dioxide. The fruit begins to ferment from the inside out using its own enzymes rather than yeast, developing bright fruit flavours, softer tannins, and complex aromas.
We used this technique for our chuckleberries, allowing the fruit to break down gently before pressing and juicing with a water press borrowed from our pals at Against The Grain! Water presses operate without electricity. By connecting them to a water supply, the fruit mash is gently pressed by a membrane, and the juice quickly flows into the collection container. This helped us extract a richer berry flavour while preserving the fresh, vibrant character of the fruit.
The Beer
The finished Chuckleberry Sour pours a beautiful peach colour with aromas of tart, jammy berries. Expect flavours of blackcurrant, gooseberry, and hedgerow fruits with a refreshing sharpness.
By combining real fruits with an innovative approach inspired by winemaking, we've created a sour beer that really showcases this unique British berry.
If you're a fan of sours or interested in trying some unusual ingredients, our Chuckleberry Sour is on sale from 2nd July.