The last of our 2021 honey from Gert and Ron at Cougar Canyon Apiary, along with 2022 Riesling pomace from Red Willow. This beer, like its predecessor, was made in the same, excessively time-consuming style as Death Come Quickly, where we take finished and aged beer and referment it very slowly at ambient temperatures on raw/local honey. The Chiliwist honey in this batch is something I mentioned in a previous email from years ago:

The Chiliwist honey that we've been using to condition many of the beers in the last few months was harvested late September 2021, it's been mostly fireweed since the fire there in 2014 (during the Carlton Complex Fire they lost most of their apiary). The site is at elevation, about 3,700 feet. Gert emphasizes the elevation of 2 of the 3 sites and they seem to feel strongly that it affects the profile of the honeys. At this spot there's a lot of snowberry (we've used snowberry honey before and it's incredible), as well as a variety of wildflowers, Gaillardia, and sunflower (according to wikipedia the name "Methow" comes from the Okanagan (Nsyilxcən) placename /mətxʷú/, meaning sunflower seeds).

Unlike the first iteration of Everything is Fire which was made in sequences (first honey and then pomace), this beer was made during the 2022 harvest with a coferement of honey and grapes.

I was listening to a brewer recently speak about how much honey they put in a batch of their "biere de miel" and was shocked that it was 20# of honey in a 7bbl batch. We used 100# of honey in a similar volume for this beer. The honey, not heated as it is in most cases by putting it in the kettle, and allowed to slowly referment instead of going through a fast and vigorous fermentation, maintains a lot of its delicate aromatics. This bottling actually tastes more of "honey" than I had expected, as usually honey once fermented tends to leave a relatively neutral and more spicy/fruit character than what you'd expect it to taste like.

One pedantic note for those who want to describe this beer on the internet: the most common misconception with honey in beers is that it adds sweetness. This is the opposite of what it does. Honey contains very simple sugars, and as such is entirely fermentable. Because of this it actually serves to dry the beer out, making it less sweet. The flavor of honey, similar to fruit flavors, is so contextual and we are used to tasting these things with their sugar intact. When the sugar is removed everything is different. Sometimes the lingering honey aromatic plays a trick on your mind and by association you think it's sweet, but I guarantee you that this beer is lab tested and is bone dry.

Like most white grape beers I highly suggest rousing the sediment in this bottle when drinking.

Bottling date: 07/06/2023
ABV: 8.92% ABV
Conditioned with: Organic sugar.
Cellar: best before Fall 2028