Graft + Botanist and Barrel The Whole Bush | Shared Universe

We teamed up with Botanist and Barrel out of North Carolina to create The Whole Bush, a Blueberry Bush Cider. We’ve created a rarely-seen collaboration by exchanging wild yeast cultures via snail mail and utilizing each other’s unique strains. With good reason, most companies, if not all, are intensely protective over their yeast. House yeast cultures are what make a beverage so unique. It’s part of what makes their liquid taste like their liquid. Our focus at Graft is on the impact of yeast on our ferments rather than obsessing over apple varieties.
By incorporating Botanist and Barrel’s proprietary yeast strain into our fermentation process, we’ve infused their cider’s essence into our cider. The result? A unique ferment featuring blueberries, blueberry wood, and blueberry leaves. The wood imparts a touch of fruitiness and tannin, while the leaves add floral notes reminiscent of dried white tea.