Noble Rot is a beer from Dogfish Head that I have been DYING to try! I first read about it in Food + Wine magazine, so when Rochelle brought an ice cold bottle of this over last night I was jumping for joy. I could tell you all about it, but I think that the synopsis on Dogfishes' website does it justice:
This saison-esque science project gets complexity and fermentable sugars from two unique wine grapes sourced with our friends at Alexandria Nicole Cellars in Prosser, Wash.
The first addition is unfermented juice, known as must, from viognier grapes that have been infected with a benevolent fungus called botrytis. This noble rot reduces the water content in the grapes while magnifying their sweetness and complexity. The second is pinot gris must intensified by a process called dropping fruit, where large clusters of grapes are clipped to amplify the quality of those left behind.
"This is the absolute closest to equal meshing of the wine world and the beer world thats ever been done commercially," says Dogfish's Sam Calagione.
Noble Rot is brewed with pils and wheat malts and fermented with a distinct Belgian yeast strain. It has a spicy white wine body and a dry, tart finish.
This is a spectacularly unique and delicious beer - which tastes particularly great after a hot day. Buy a bottle, no - SEVERAL bottles, and enjoy with good friends.
Glad that you enjoyed Noble Rot. I work for Alexandria Nicole Cellars, and I know that we had a lot of fun working with Dogfish Head during the process of them making the beer. We were really excited to be involved in the project, and I think that the beer turned out great. Cheers!
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