Wild Jaboticaba Ale: How We Made Our Most Adventurous Beer Yet..

I’m excited to share the story behind our latest release: Wild Jaboticaba Ale. This beer is a true expression of our farm-to-glass philosophy and a testament to the creativity that drives everything we do here in the Noosa Hinterland.

The Idea: Celebrating Rare and Local Flavours

The inspiration for this beer came from a desire to showcase unique, home grown fruit that most beer lovers have never encountered. Jaboticaba, sometimes called the “Brazilian grape,” is a rare subtropical fruit with a deep purple skin and a sweet, aromatic flesh reminiscent of muscadine grapes. When I first tasted fresh jaboticaba, I knew its vibrant, tangy character would be perfect for a wild ale, something bright, tart, and bursting with complexity.

Ingredients: Pure, Local, and Organic

Staying true to our ethos, the backbone of Wild Jaboticaba Ale starts with 100% Australian grown and malted grain from Voyager Craft Malt. For this beer, I chose:

• Organic Pilsner Malt: For a clean, crisp base. I love working with particular grain as it always delivers bright beers.

• Organic Raw Wheat: To add body and a subtle, rustic character.

• Farm-Harvested Jaboticaba: We sourced the freshest fruit, handpicked at peak ripeness to ensure maximum flavour and aroma.

The jaboticaba’s unique qualities its tannic skin, antioxidant-rich profile, and aromatic flesh make it a standout ingredient, both for its flavour and its connection to our subtropical environment.

Fruit in tank before we gassed with CO2 and left to mature.

The Process: Carbonic Maceration Meets Barrel Aging

Making this beer was all about patience and precision. Here’s how we brought it to life:

• Carbonic Maceration: We started by placing whole, farm harvested jaboticaba fruit into a sealed vessel, pumping CO2 in and allowing natural fermentation to begin inside the berries themselves. This technique, borrowed from winemaking, intensifies the fruit’s bright, juicy flavours while extracting subtle floral and tannic notes from the skins.

• Blending with Aged Wild Ale: Once the jaboticaba was bursting with character, we blended the fruit with a barrel-aged wild ale. This base beer had spent time aging in ex-organic wine barrels, developing layers of funk, acidity, and oak complexity.

• Maturation and Bottling: After blending, the beer was allowed to mature further, marrying the vibrant jaboticaba with the nuanced wild ale. The result is a beer that has the fresh tartness of jabotiaba and the erthy funk of the wild base beer, with subtle oak character.

  
  

The Result: Bright, Tart, and Complex

Wild Jaboticaba Ale sits at 5.2% ABV and is as lively as it is refreshing. You’ll find a bright tartness up front, followed by waves of fruit, subtle tannins from the jaboticaba skin, and a dry, complex finish that invites another sip. It’s a beer that rewards curiosity and celebrates the bounty of our region.

A Toast to Discovery

Bringing Wild Jaboticaba Ale to life was an adventure one that reflects our commitment to creativity, local ingredients, and the slow, thoughtful processes that define Wild Barrel. I hope you enjoy drinking it as much as I enjoyed making it. It's been a huge learing for me, and I hope to be able to bring you more beers that have the fruits of our farm in them.

Grab yourself a bottle or three here!

Cheers, Shane Kent Founder & Brewer, Wild Barrel.