TORONTO, ON – Following on a teaser announcement last week, Bellwoods Brewery has announced full details for this year’s edition of its annual anniversary beer which is due to be released this coming weekend.
Motley Cru 2016 has roots extending back to October 2013, when Bellwoods brewed an open fermentation beer with no commercial yeast, instead mixing in gewurztraminer grape must from Niagara and allowing the wild yeast on the grape skins to do its work.
The beer was aged in French oak barrels from Tawse Winery for two years, and then blended with a sour ale that was aged in old use barrels from a similar length of time. The result is described as follows:
Motley Cru 2016 is a Niagara Wild Ale Blend w/ Gewurztraminer, an 80/20 split of barrel aged Niagara wild ale (inoculated with grape must) and barrel aged sour. We assume the presence of wild sach, various strains of brett, and a small army of lactic acid producing bacteria. The aromatics are distinctly bright and vinous, characterized by floral notes of geranium and lilac, alongside black pepper. The flavour has a nice acidity, and showcases complex layers of brett funk, citrus, white grape, apple, and lychee, within a dry, drinkable body. Perhaps what’s most exciting about this beer is that it establishes a strong, geographic tie to Ontario, highlighting unique, local ingredients. Ultimately, MC 2016 was born from the free floating micro-organisms of Niagara, closely controlled and blended by us worker bees at Bellwoods, and made possible by some generous grapes.
Motley Cru 2016 will go on sale at the Bellwoods retail store this Saturday May 14th at 11:00 AM, selling for $13 per 500 ml bottle. Past editions of the beer have resulted in long line-ups and quick sell outs, but with more than 5200 bottles in this year’s release, the brewery is expecting it will be available in the store for a couple of weeks.