Half Acre Wings

Wings spent 10 months in oak with 2 gallons of honey per oak barrel. As the beer became ready, we drove up to northern Michigan to pick up the cherries.

King Orchards has been pretty much the sole provider of cherries for us over the years. It was great to drive up there and spend some time with the family that owns the place and see their farm. We used 100% Balaton cherries in this beer at a fruiting rate of 4#/gallon.

I dig Balatons. They remind me a little bit of a cross between blueberries and regular tart cherries. The color is much darker than Montmorency and I think there’s more complexity as well.

This is a stellar beer for this time of year. Funk and fruit on the nose, the fruit makes you think of summer while the richness stands up to the remaining gray. It finishes dry with a balanced tartness and is reminiscent of Danish cherry wine.