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Grape Ale: What is it?
Beer + grapes
Grape Ale, have you heard of it? This hybrid, sometimes called, but much more rarely, oenobière, vière or grape harvest beer, symbolises the meeting of winemaking and brewing know-how.
Fruit beers – cherry, raspberry or peach for the best known – are very old, but the grape version was quite marginal, before a modern (re)birth in 2006 in Sardinia. The idea then quickly spread, first in Italy, to the point that this new type of drink was officially registered in 2015 under the name IGA, for Italian Grape Ale.
Its rapid success has created a worldwide craze, which is why it was renamed simply Grape Ale in 2021. With very broad guidelines, it is rather a category in full swing, which will be subdivided into different styles in the future. It stands out for the moment for its experiments, for endless possibilities and results!
Meeting of a new kind
The basic idea is to create a drink that combines the recognizable characteristics of wine (or grapes) and beer. To achieve this, the same grapes – white or black – are chosen as those used to make wine. After all, they have already proven themselves and will be able to give a strong and recognizable identity to the Grape Ale.
The ideal is to use must from fresh grapes harvested in the hours before production. This also represents a significant amount of organization to chain together harvesting, pressing and brewing!
It is also possible to use cooked or even reduced must if it is not possible to brew straight away. This is how the first Sardinian IGA was made.
Explorations and variations
This hybrid is both very demanding and very flexible! For the magic to work, it requires careful selection of ingredients and the ratio of grape must must not exceed 40% of the mixture to be brewed. This portion of must can be added at different stages of the manufacturing process, multiplying the possible results.
Grape Ale also depends on the choice of malts and hops. A wide variety of each category exists, but the type and quantity must be finely balanced so as not to overpower the delicate aromas and flavors of the grapes. Winey notes are a key element of this new type of drink, and the bitterness of the hops is often less than in a classic Ale.
This hybrid creation also reflects a part of the terroir – through the grape varieties, but also sometimes the indigenous yeasts, from a local and typical wine production. Each country could in the future claim a sub-style, who knows? We are delighted with the appearance of the Swiss Grape Ale category!
Obrist's version
This Grape Ale is a collaboration between Obrist, your favorite wine merchant, and La Nébuleuse, in Renens, a well-known brewery in the canton of Vaud.
It is codenamed (IN)Filtrée, to describe this strange marriage, with the wine that secretly mixes with the beer, uniting two generally distinct worlds. The design combines the two universes in red and blue, with grapes and hops. But no need for 3D glasses to taste it, you just need a bottle opener and a good thirst!
Homemade recipe
La Nébuleuse adds a third of Vaudois grape must supplied by Obrist to the fermentation of this beer. This is mainly composed of the emblematic and essential Chasselas, combined with a part of Sauvignon blanc for its little aromatic side. This duo, chosen after several tests, offers an interesting taste balance and perfectly complements the two thirds of beer.
Between notes of citrus, fresh apricot, caramel and fresh yeast, Grape Ale is at the crossroads of two worlds. Its flavors are enhanced by a fine bitterness, just enough to emphasize a dense, "vinous" body, with real length and complexity.
A merger to please them all
While the absence of white, creamy foam may be surprising (the sugar in the grape must prevents its formation during fermentation), the fine, persistent bubbles are more reminiscent of a quality sparkling wine. As for its alcohol content – 6.6% – it is average for craft beers with a strong personality… and half that of a wine!
The balance of this Grape Ale and its truly gastronomic side will convince everyone's palate, beer or wine fans. Digestible, original and with a nice depth, it is a pleasure as an aperitif, but its place is rather at the table, with savory pies, quiches, white meat or strong cheeses.
