In our newest collaboration with Vertere, we went cocktail inspired! We really enjoyed our last collaboration with them as a Lactobacillus Belgian sour IPA, and we wanted to build on that concept wit this newest collaboration. Starting with the cocktail inspiration, I (head brewer James) have always been a fan of all types of whisky, with Bourbon being my favourite. I encountered a delicious cocktail years ago that was a rendition of a Kentucky Sunrise using Mango instead of orange juice. I suggested the idea of making a fusion of this blended with the flavours of a Mint Julep with it. To do this, we kept the malt bill simple with just pilsner and some wheat to add texture and body, with a bit of dextrin malt for sweetness. We focused on citrus forward hops such as Comet, Tangier and Vista hops to layer in some depth in the aroma. This cocktail obviously couldn’t exist without some juice, so in our interpretation of this cocktail, we used a blend of ume, apricot, and peach. This combination gives the beer a sweet, sour, and tangy flavour. To balance the sour character and impart some whiskey character, we conditioned the beer on reclaimed barrel oak chips with a bit of vanilla to mimic the bourbon sweetness. The aroma of this beer is complex, with the Mint Julep aspect coming from a late addition of mint into the beer. From handling and preparing special raw ingredients, to preparing bourbon chips, and all the fruit additions, this was one of the more complex beers we have put together. It was a labour of love, and every time you take a sip of this beer new elements shine through.