Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina has announced a collaboration beer with its fellow Asheville brewery, Highland Brewing Co.

Plum Nectar is a dry-hopped Berliner Weisse brewed with plums and benefits from the beer's sales will go the Pink Boots Society. The beer will release in mid-October in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans. The full release from Hi-Wire is below.

JUST ANNOUNCED: We've collaborated with Highland Brewing Company to create Plum Nectar, a dry-hopped Berliner Weisse with plums. Tart and refreshing, Plum Nectar (4.6% ABV) blends aromatic citrus and tropical fruit notes from Azacca hops with the juicy and sweet character of 17 pounds of plums per barrel. 

We spoke with Goodwood Brewing Co. COO & Brewmaster Joel Halbleib about Spruce Tip IPA.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe?
Myself and cellarmaster Todd Suyemasa.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
The interplay between the hops and spruce tips. The aromatics are out of this world!

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
Pretty self-explanatory; it's an IPA with spruce tips.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
It’s in the cooler for sure.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Resinous IPA beat with branch after branch of spruce tips.

BC: Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
I have a love for the danker IPAs. When the team asked for an IPA, I was more than ready to produce this one. I spent a long time thinking of a great wood element to bring to an IPA that would pair well with the massive hop bill. Todd Suyemasa, our cellarmaster, suggested spruce tips as he had tasted a spruce IPA from Alaskan Brewing Co and thought the aromas from spruce paired fantastically with hops. That day I ordered some Colorado Blue Spruce tips from Spruce on Tap and the rest is history.

We spoke with Aspall Cyder House's Henry Chevallier Guild about Aspall Grand Cru.

BC: Who came up with this cider's recipe?
Difficult one to answer; the original, original recipe from 2 decades ago was me; however, as you know the harvest and available bases actually dictates the blend these days. I guess the romantic answer would be it is my recipe, but it is as much mine as it is The Cyder Makers these days.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this cider (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
The aroma and taste are quite rustic and traditional, and the cyder is especially good with meat-based dishes.

BC: Where does this cider's name come from?
The story was that the recipe and blend were based loosely on the style that would have been produced from the estate in years gone by, the Grand Cru denoted a designated origin style.

BC: Can you describe this cider in 10 words or less?
Quite simply, NO. Traditional bittersweet cyder-apple character with orchard fruit and floral notes. Palate initially slightly sweet, then mouthfilling and full bodied. Complex array of fruit flavours balanced by gorgeous soft tannins, producing a bone-dry finish.

BC: Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this cider?
We came up with the blend inspired by the fruit that has been growing on the estate for nearly 300 years.