This week, Crux Fermentation Project provided me with bottles of The Oregon I Am Experimental IPA and this year’s edition of Bramble Candy, a barrel-aged sour ale with marionberries.

The Oregon I Am is one that I recently wrote about for The Bulletin, and I’m excited to try it since I was present for the filling of the coolship out at the Camp Polk Meadow Preserve in April. It’s a mixed-fermentation beer that has elements of the wild yeast of the Whychus Creek environment as well as kveik for an assist (in order to be ready in the two months necessary for the land trust project).

This year’s Bramble Candy was aged with marionberries, which aren’t terribly different from blackberries (last year’s edition’s fruit), and the description says:

After months ripening in red wine barrels with a tangled blend of brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus, we infused our wildest farmhouse ale with a tart twist in the form of Oregon marionberries. Dripping with juicy berry notes balanced by a funky earthiness, this creative mix of wild cultures is a sour beer lover’s delight.

I reviewed the blackberry edition last year, finding it quite good and quite acidic. We’ll see how this version compares.