Pucker up, folks! It’s slush sipping season at Wiley Roots
Slush Light is part of Wiley Roots Brewing Company’s kettle-aged sour series, a featured favorite from April through mid-September. Photo by Emily Kemme.
By Emily Kemme
Along with carefree moments spent lazing in the sun, sipping a slushy beverage on a summer’s day ranks high in the treasured cache of warm weather activities. And if that slushy sipper happens to be a low-cal, low carb, and reduced gluten sour beer bursting with fresh fruit, well, so much the better.
That seems to be the thought behind Wiley Roots Brewing Company’s newest releases — Blueberry Limeade Slush Light and Strawberry Lemonade Slush Light.
Slush Light is part of the brewery’s kettle-aged sour series, a featured favorite from April through mid-September. The tart zippiness of a kettle sour, also called quick souring or sour worting, occurs when a strain of yeast, often lactobacillus, is added to the mash or the wort — the liquid extracted from mash during the beer-making process which contains sugars that produce alcohol. Adding this type of yeast, a probiotic, makes the sugars convert to lactic acid. It’s the same live culture found in unsweetened yogurt.
Unsurprisingly, the end result has that same mild yogurt-y tartness, according to RateBeer, an in-depth online beer forum for the craft beer community.
Because kettle souring is a relatively quick technique in the craft beer world, kettle sours won’t have the funkiness you’ll taste in a traditional fruited sour.
Wiley Roots starts its Slush Light as a kettle soured golden ale and then adds a variety of fruits to create the individual flavor combinations. Courtesy photo.
According to a news release, Wiley Roots starts its Slush Light as a kettle soured golden ale and then adds a variety of fruits to create the individual flavor combinations. Adding a touch of puréed blueberry and lime, or strawberry and lemon makes for a relatively healthy treat, but it’s beer so it gives you a bit of a buzz. Slush it up on site with the brewery’s slushy machine, or order it straight — not frozen. Whichever way you choose to enjoy it, the result is a clean, refreshing taste, ideal for the lightness of summertime.
Even better for skimpy summer clothing, it has only 130 calories and 3.9% ABV (alcohol by volume) per 16 ounces.
“It’s . . . a ‘light, crisp, and crushable beer with fewer calories and less gluten than the original Slush series without sacrificing any of its beloved taste,’” the release said.
For comparison, other Slush flavors on Wiley Roots’ taproom menu measure 4.8% ABV.
“Wiley Roots joins a fast growing list of craft breweries across the country producing low-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic beers to meet an increase in consumer demand for lower alcohol and health centric alternatives. Last year, 17 percent of craft beer drinkers said they were more interested in low-alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks than a few years ago, according to the Brewer’s Association,” the release said.
Patrons can enjoy frozen slush variants for on-site consumption at the brewery’s expanded outdoor, AstroTurf carpeted seating area. Table service at distanced, umbrella-covered picnic tables is plentiful. Indoor seating is available, as well. The brewery adheres to current COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Both Slush Light flavors are available online with pick up directly from the taproom. Cost is $16 per four-pack. Slush Light is also distributed across the Front Range by Wiley Root’s distributor, Two Six Craft Distributors, or look for their products at participating liquor stores on their Wiley Finder.
Taproom Hours
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: noon to 8 p.m.
Thursday: noon to 8 p.m.
Friday: noon to 9 p.m.
Saturday: noon to 9 p.m.
Sunday: noon to 6 p.m.
Location
625 3rd Street, Unit D, in Greeley
Contact
970-515-7315