Wildflower Common Ground Autumn Ale: Harvest 2019
REGION: Marrickville, NSW
SIZE: 750ml / ABV: 6.2%
"The second edition in our ongoing collaborative project with Dane and Hannah of Momento Mori wines. These beers are made without the addition of our house culture and instead see uninoculated wort pitched on top of fermented, macerated, pressed grape skins from the making of their wines. This ale was made back in 2019 with the skins of Greco grapes which spent 10 months macerating to make MM's 'Give up the Ghost' 2019. After the skins were lightly pressed and sent to us, we pitched our Gold wort on top of them and allowed the yeast (which was somewhat surprisingly still active after all that time) to commence and complete the beer fermentation. The beer and skins soaked together for 10 months as well before bottling in October 2020 and conditioning for nearly two years before release.
Undeniable salinity on the nose, oyster shell, tidal pool before the ripe fruit takes over.. fresh pineapple and white stone fruits. The skinsy herbal spice floats in the background. Laser-like palate, tight and direct but generous with flavour... pineapple again, melon and clean citrus. Long and persistent with a mouthwatering acidity. Grab some oysters." - Topher
It's difficult to overstate the impact of Wildflower since its inception only a few years ago in 2017. Hailing from Texas, Topher Boehm has an impressive resume - from Brasserie Thiriez to Jester King to his background in astrophysics - not to mention his unique house yeast. Cultivated from foraged wildflowers native to NSW, think wattle blossoms and banksia, blended with a Belgian saison strain, creating something truly individual which speaks of place. Topher even sprayed the entire brewery with inoculated wort when he moved in, just to make sure everything was literally covered in the house culture.