Chuckleberry is a blend of two brews produced in June and September 2019. Fermentation and maturation took place in barriques which formerly housed red Bordeaux.
Mills chose three barrels to make a blend that would best fit the fruit:
soft and full on the palate to accommodate the fruit’s acidity and tannin, complementary aromatics from the red Bordeaux and French oak, and a balancing funk to cut (but not obscure) the fruit.
The resulting blend was added to a large quantity of locally grown chuckleberries to referment for five months. The beer conditioned in bottle for a further three months.
Mills say “Made from a turbid wort, using rye malt and aged hops, they started life as potential blending options for our ‘house’ beer, Running Beer.”