From Lora Brewing Vireo is a mixed culture beer made with lemon myrtle and hopped with organic Nelson Sauvin and Wakatu, conditioned in bottle with raw honey. 5.3% ABV 450 x 750ml bottles produced While the previous beers in the Lora collection are all blends of different bases and barrels, Vireo is unique from these as it is the result of one single brew fermented and aged in a single 500 litre puncheon. The brew that comprises Vireo was made in early October 2021 and consisted of organic Nelson Sauvin and Wakatu hops, fresh lemon myrtle leaves, organic Schooner pale barley, organic malted wheat, and organic chit malt. The brewhouse processes and procedures used in making Vireo are a bit unlike any I had implemented previously to make a mixed fermentation beer, specifically with the use of hops. A small addition of Wakatu hops was added at first wort for light bittering, however no other hops saw the physically boiling wort. Instead, after the boil had finished, the wort was cooled to 80°C and fresh lemon myrtle, Nelson Sauvin and Wakatu hops were added to extract aromatic oils while leaving behind some of the more bitter and tannic qualities which can be found in both of these plants. The wort was then cooled further and taken to a single 500 litre oak puncheon where it was fermented with Lora's house culture. The original plan was to have this beer in bottle about 6 weeks after it was brewed, creating more of a quick, hop forward offering. However, when you’re working with a living product full of many different species of yeast and bacteria you are always on their timeline rather than your own. Six weeks in and the beer was still happily fermenting along! Finally, in late January the beer was ready. The barrel was emptied to a packaging tank and a few days before bottling the beer was dry hopped with organic Nelson Sauvin and Wakatu. The beer was finally taken to bottle in early February 2022 and allowed to naturally carbonate and condition with raw, unheated Malfroy’s Gold Blue Mountains Polyflora Wild honey. Tasting Notes - On the nose, lemonheads and citrus blossoms shine alongside fresh spring new growth, all supported by herbaceous spice. Sparkling aromatic white wine shows first on the palate with a tempered acidity that feels almost equal parts citric and lactic. White peach, bitter orange and chinotto recede while touches of honey carry into the finish. Production Notes - The brewing process for our beers involves taking a more hands off approach than typically used. There were no process or brewing aids applied outside of a carbon filter to remove chlorine from the water. No acid or acidulated malt for pH adjustment, brewing salts, enzymes, yeast nutrients, fining agents, antifoams, filtration, or extracts were added or used in making this beer. Storage - Beer isn't typically a fan of sunlight and as such we recommend you store our beers in a cool and dark environment until you're ready to enjoy them. Not only will this help protect the beer inside, but it will also preserve the labels (see below). When/how to drink - Please allow this bottle to chill upright for at least 24 hours before opening. With the heavy hop load added to this beer there will be increased sediment. We also do not recommend aging this beer! Yes, a mixed culture beer can preserve fresh hop characters a bit longer than a mono-fermented ale or lager. However, this doesn't mean you should wait years to open this beer. These aren't aged hops, enjoy the harvest! Labels - We’ve painted our labels with natural pigments gathered from landscapes around New South Wales. As such each bottle is unique and these natural hues may change slightly over time, much like the evolution of the beer inside. 🍻 Lora
