Stillwater x Freigeist - Sauerland: Freigeist Hybrid Sequence 0.001

Oak Aged wild ale co-fermented with Regent Grapes from natural winery 2Naturkinder.

collaboration with freigeist, a radical series all fermented with german wine grapes, brutally expensive but given the style and the breweries involved, how could i not?! this is the first one, epic really, done with regent grapes, which i was not previously familiar with, and an early beer of the year candidate for me. its an oak aged spontaneous brew, and it is fermented with the fruit, very cool. the beer is deep purple in color, grape juice looking, no shine to it at all, a little haze as we pour more of the bottle out, and its fizzy like champagne but doesnt keep much head. it smells very sour, acetic and mature, woody, and vinous, lots of brett here too, some tannins from the grape skins and the oak alike, as well as some minerals giving this a distinct earthy vibe. the flavor is way less sour than the nose, and even holds some fruit sugar still for balance, as much funkiness as outright acidity, but both are robust in this. the grape part is as cool as the wild ferment, hints of juicy plum and blackberry to the fruit, port wine depth and maturity, some lemon too, a concrete stone sort of coldness if that makes sense, and a drying finish, almost slightly saline. profoundly interesting overall, i love these beer/wine mashups, especially the yeast forward ones, and this series has my full attention right now. you get what you pay for here, so dont be scared. this is the kind of collaboration i dream about, and its probably the headiest beer to show up in idaho since i have lived in the state. downright killer!

4.2 on Untappd

Origin: Germany

Size: 750ml