Berry up to the bar for Big Briar Tart Raspberry Ale from Highland Brewing in Asheville, NC. This new seasonal hits the market in late April but the first kegs are tapped April 28 at the brewery.
Big Briar hits the spring sweet spot at an approachable 5.4% ABV with a touch of tartness and all natural ingredients. It even looks like spring with its coral color.
The brewing team uses seven and a half pounds of 100% raspberry puree per barrel of beer, adding the berries at the most aggressive stage of fermentation. “There’s natural convection when we add the raspberry. The yeast is churning so much that the berries distribute naturally in a 200-barrel tank, top to bottom. The blowoff is pink,” said Brewmaster Hollie Stephenson. Her approach lets the yeast eat the berries’ natural sugar, removing sweetness and leaving raspberry essence in aroma, color and tartness. To avoid stripping the desired berry character after fermentation, a coarse filter is used, leaving tiny particles mostly invisible to the eye. Because it’s not all about the berry, the base beer is led by El Dorado hops, one of Hollie’s favorites, which add complementary lemon notes to the raspberry aroma and flavor.
All of Highland’s distribution areas will feature Big Briar. Those distribution areas are part of, or one state away from, the Southern Appalachian Mountains. And the mountains are connected to the name Big Briar.
Big Briar Cove is a conservation easement donated in memory of inventor and electronic music pioneer, Bob Moog. Big Briar is part of a network of 10,000 protected acres in the wider Sandy Mush area of the French Broad River watershed in North Carolina. All of Highland’s seasonal beers are named after a land or water feature protected by our partners at Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and $1 per pour at each release party benefits the work they do, for all of us. To donate your dollar, join the April 28brewery release, featuring free live music with Bloodkin from 7-9pm and food trucks on site, each creating a special food pairing for Big Briar Tart Raspberry Ale.
About Big Briar Tart Raspberry Ale
Fresh pureed raspberries headline this approachably tart beer. Pairing berries with the lemon candy notes of El Dorado® hops creates an unapologetically nuanced brew, coral in color, with compelling fruit aromatics. Meet the perfect companion for your spring and summer evenings.
Grist – 2 Row Brewers Malt, White Wheat, Caramel 20, & Sauermaltz
Original gravity – 12.7° Plato
Hops – El Dorado®
Alcohol – 5.4% by volume
IBU – 50
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