Since we first began brewing more than seven years ago, one of our goals has always been to create beers that exhibit a sense of place, or, as the wine world calls it, Terroir.
In the Sandhills of central Kansas there is one fruit that stands above all others in regards to being a local specialty: Sandhill Plums. They are one of the few fruits that truly thrive in the Kansas prairie and are distinctly Kansas.
We have always hoped to feature Sandhill Plums in our beers and thanks to an abundant plum crop this year, it has become a reality!
On Thursday, August 1, 2019, we will release Foeder-aged Chickadee with Sandhill Plums on draft and in cans at our Hutchinson taproom when we open at 3PM. This version of Chickadee matured for several months in our large oak foeder and was then refermented on 75lbs of Sandhill Plums. The beer has a light pink hue, bright acidity, and luscious fruit notes from the plums.
Sandhill Plums grow natively all around central Kansas and can frequently be seen alongside county roads and throughout pasture ground. They are not cultivated commercially so getting enough to put into beer is a labor-intensive process, but thanks to our brewery team and a number of friends and family that helped out, we’ve been able to obtain several hundred pounds of locally-picked plums this year. That should be enough to make a few different batches of beer, so watch out for other Sandhill Plum beers soon!
