Vines of Passion

After a fun trip to Lisbon’s Oceanarium, the Bitter Wife and I hopped on a bus and rolled over to Dois Corvos Cervejeira, a cool and comfortably appointed space in a mixed use part of town—a bit off the beaten path, but one with Lou Reed on the stereo.

 

For my first brew, I went with a 125mL pour of Vines of Passion. It was a 7.4% barrel-aged ale made using muscat grape must. At just 14 IBUs, bitterness was low, and Nelson Sauvin hops combined with the grape must gave the beer a distinctly white wine profile. The aroma is fiercely winey, with acidic and sweet notes mingling freely. For flavour, the beer is tangy and fruity, with only a hint of bitterness.

The high alcohol content was nearly imperceptible and the beer was extremely easy-sipping, creating a devilishly dangerous combo. One gets the sense that three or four glasses of this stuff could vanish in a blink, leaving an unwitting drinker a bit wobblier than they might expect. Tasty and cleverly made, this ale—aged two years—is a yummy treat for wine lovers slumming it in the beer world.

Rating: 8.0 out of 10.