NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ON – Niagara Oast House Brewers has announced the release of a new limited edition beer made using one of the byproducts of the local wine industry.
Niagara Verjus Sour is a 4.7% sour ale made using verjus, a tart and acidic juice produced from the pressing of under-ripe grapes.
The verjus used in the beer was made by Marty Werner of Ravine Vineyard using premium Pinot Noir grapes from Lepp Farms, as well as an in-house yeast propagated at Oast House. The resulting beer is described as follows:
Pouring a beautiful, cloudy straw colour, with aromas of grape must, green apples, pear and “harvest”, the Niagara Verjus Sour tastes of green grapes, apple with a subtle herbaceous, biscuity finish. The base beer was created to maintain a similar pH & brix levels to that of the verjus, and there is no lactobacillus added, as this is a “natural sour” deriving from the verjus.
Niagara Verjus Sour is on draught now at select locations in Southern Ontario. 700 litres were also set aside to be aged in Pinot Noir barrels, and will be released at a later date.