Otter Creek Quercus Vitis Humulus and Wolavers Alta Gracia Coffee Porter

This is a quick video with Otter Creek brewmaster Mike Gerhart sharing their 2 new brews. First a new “Imperial Series” beer from Otter Creek, the Quercus Vitis Humulus- which literally translates to Oak, Grape and hop. The brew begins as a bold 27 degree plato barley-wine, warm-fermented with Bohemian lager yeast, then blended with Sauvignon Blanc grape juice and fermented a second time with a pure culture of Champagne yeast. Finally it is aged for a short time on lightly toasted French Oak. The six week process results in a complex ale which comes in at 12% ABV, with 38 IBUs. More about this beer here.

Also released this week from Wolavers is the next release in their Organic Farmer Series, Alta Gracia Coffee Porter. This is brewed up with organic roasted barley and chocolate malts for a rich, dark and robust flavor with an infusion of organic vanilla beans, and coffee from the Dominican Republic farm community Alta Gracia.

Alta Gracia is a non-profit farm that works to empower farmers with tools and techniques to grow quality shade-grown organic coffee. The result is growers who feel pride in their stewardship of the land, are paid fairly for their labor, and have healthy sustainable farms.

Growing coffee is hard work. Harvest must be done by hand so that only the ripe berries are picked. The farmers of the Alta Gracia farm community are paid fair wages for their work. It is the mission of the farm to teach neighboring farmers techniques to grow high quality shade-grown organic coffee that will allow them to get a fair price for their product. More about the beer here.