A particularly successful Stillwater hybrid, Oude Bae is a sour amber ale aged on French oak with pinot noir grapes. Nicely tart and beautifully vinous, first sips reveal an appealing funk and richness atop a drinkable, tangy body. This one now comes in cans, making it the perfect grab for your next picnic.
Brasserie Cantillon produces what’s likely the most sought-after traditional Belgian lambic out there, but its Saint Lamvinus has a cult following all its own. (Beer nerds often insist a great lambic’s aging ability is akin to that of fine wine, so infusion with grapes is only logical.) Here, a blend of lambics are barrel-aged for more than a year with merlot grapes. It pours a brilliant burgundy hue, yielding intense fruit on the nose and oak on the palate.
Mikkeller — Riesling People (6.7% ABV)
Here’s probably the most accessible beer-wine hybrid available right now: a new IPA brewed with riesling juice from Danish gypsy-brewing global power Mikkeller (soon opening its first New York brewpub at Citi Field—marking its 32nd location worldwide). This hoppy brew starts tropical-fruity and finishes with a sweet blast of grape.
Holy Mountain — Sacrament (8.5% ABV)
Seattle’s Holy Mountain produces some of the most reliably worthwhile farmhouse brews in the country. With Sacrament, it’s begun a foray into aging beer in oak on wine grapes. The first batch is a wheat-based ale aged and fermented on Carménère grapes and skins from the Walla Walla Valley. The result has a fruity wine nose that’s balanced by a tart, tannic astringency once you start tasting.
Jester King — Bière de Blanc du Bois (6.7% ABV)
Bucolic Texas farmhouse Jester King’s recent output has been particularly grape-heavy, with beers utilizing merlot, sangiovese, and syrah varietals among others. Bière de Blanc du Bois is an especially acclaimed example. This barrel-aged sour is refermented with Texas-grown blanc du bois grapes after maturation. White wine complexity meets a fruity and woody tart backdrop.
TRVE — Ecate (5.5% ABV)
Rustic metal heads TRVE can always be counted on to churn out something worth tracking down, and Ecate is no exception. A golden sour aged on cabernet sauvignon pomace (the pulpy solid remnants of fruit after pressing for wine), this resourceful brew makes something beautiful out of what’s essentially a leftover. Citric, dry, and terrifically fizzy.
Upright — Oregon Native (8% ABV)
Anyone who’s had a chance to try beer from the Pacific Northwest’s jewel Upright knows the singular, jazzy pleasure its creations elicit. Oregon Native is one such truly brilliant offering. Barrel-fermented in collaboration with Patton Valley Vineyard, it uses pinot noir grapes and indigenous wine yeasts: Think the beautiful red fruit aroma typical of pinot, with a musty wood periphery. (Under its Sole Composition series, Upright has even released a version sans carbonation, which enhances the winy qualities of this hybrid gem.)


