Pinthouse Brewery Partners with Winery to Brew “With Pulp”
Pinthouse Brewing recently released a unique beer not only for them but for the brewery industry. “With Pulp,” named from the unclarified juice used in the brewing process, was dropped on Sep. 10. The uniqueness of this beer derives from the use of grape juice from local winery, William Chris Vineyards.
“The concept of this beer came from the desire to find a way to use grape juice in a “clean” (non-sour/wild ale) way,” Director of Brewery Innovation, Tom Fischer said. “The flavor profile was inspired by mimosa-like drinks but while still maintaining an IPA profile.”
With this concept in mind, Pinthouse partnered with William Chris to bring “With Pulp” to fruition. The winery was able to bring Pinthouse out to show their wine-making process, as well as discuss their approach to Texas Hill Country wine.
“It was really fascinating and allowed for both sides to understand how we are similar and different in many ways,” Fischer said.
Although the project took several months to complete, the brewing process was still relatively normal for any other beer Pinthouse has made.
“We took the general outline of our Training Bines recipe with several tweaks,” Fischer said. “We used Hallertau Blanc in the boil and whirlpool and increased the overall strength of the beer as well as lowering the pH going into the fermenter. Once the beer was mostly fermented, we picked up the unclarified grape juice and added it to the fermenting beer.”
While there are other breweries that have used wine in a “clean” way, it isn’t very common. The implementation of working side by side with a winery was pretty new to the brewery industry as well.
“Working closely with the winemakers at William Chris Vineyards was eye-opening and enriched the development of this beer,” Fischer said.
“With Pulp” has similar aromas to passionfruit, dank, and pithy grapefruit. The flavor has a definitive white wine character with a nice spritz brightness.
If you want to try it out for yourself, stop by Pinthouse Brewing and grab a pour or some cans!
