Wildflower Brewing & Blending - Subtle Matter

Subtle Matter is a continuation of the work we started with winemaker Brad Hickey (Brash Higgins) of using spent wine grape skins from the production of orange wines (skin-contact, macerated whites) and blending them with barrel aged beer. While Zibeerbo is made by blending barrel matured golden wild ale with Muscat skins post maceration, Subtle Matter is made with Semillon skins in a similar manner. After tasting a macerated Sem heavy white elixir from a certain Barossa producer, I became intrigued (obsessed) with the intensity that this grape lends under extended skin contact ferments. To make Subtle Matter, we basked pressed Semillon skins after 6 months maceration (in wine) and immediately blended the skins with a selected barrel of Gold (barrel 1758 and 9 months old at the time) followed by for 4 months maceration together. We packaged the beer on 5 December 2019 and have conditioned it in bottle for 15 weeks before release. This is a very short description for a beer that has been over two years in the making. The beer's aroma is immensely intriguing, developing and becoming more attractive as time goes on. While it starts with honeyed lemon and lemon balm, it quickly moved to aromas reminiscent of pollen, dandelion fields and springtime. The palate is structural and grippy as you would expect from a phenolic orange wine. A fleeting fresh lemon acid up front before a clean finish. If there was ever a beer to pair with oysters... here you have it.