Bugs & Berries: A Mikkeller and Samuel Adams and Collaboration

The idea to brew Bugs & Berries was really a collaboration between us here in Copenhagen and the team at Samuel Adams in Boston

Brewed exclusively for the 2016 Copenhagen Beer Celebration in Boston, MA, we teamed up to bring a one-of-a-kind beer to the festival for its inaugural year in the states. And what better way to celebrate a little bit of Copenhagen in the U.S. than to brew a beer that has ingredients from both countries in it.

Bugs & Berries was born from the idea of blending 2 beers made of 2 bugs (yeast strains) and 2 berries. Yeast and cherries from Frederiksdal Estate in Harpelunde, Denmark were shipped to Boston and used to make the first beer. The second beer was brewed using yeast from Walden, New York, and strawberries from a few select farms, including one local farm in Groton, MA.

On August 11th, we came together for a blending day at Sam Adam's Brewery in Boston. For an added kick, we added a bit of their signature Kosmic Mother Funk sour ale, and the result was a deep red, tart and hazy wheat ale with robust cherry and strawberry notes. We can’t wait for you to try it!

Here's a couple of answers to some questions we've been getting lately:

Why was Sam Adams a great partner for this collab?
Being from Boston and having such a rich history, Sam Adams was the perfect partner for this project. As we, respectfully, enter this great city with our Copenhagen Beer Celebration – Boston, we feel that we do so with, not only a great collaboration beer, but also with a sense of blessing from a local beer-perspective. 

What are you most excited about for this beer?
We’re excited to taste through the differently layers this beer offers. Fruits and bacteria from both sides of the Atlantic should make for some interesting beer tasting conversation. It’ll also be fun to taste it in 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and so on, to experience how it develops over time.

Why did you decide to name the beer ‘Bugs and Berries’?
It really covers the essence of this beer perfectly; the ingredients, hand-picked and collected (yeast strains) by both breweries. It also has a nice ring to it, and we’ve already experienced people freaking out by the word ‘bugs’ in it, so we clearly chose the right name.

Profile for Bugs & Berries:

Style: Wild Ale
Malt Varieties: Samuel Adams two-row pale malt blend, white wheat, acidulated malt
Hop Varieties: Hallertau Mittelfrueh and Saaz
Special Ingredients: Blend of beers including Strawberry Blonde (local strawberries and wild yeas from NY), Danish Cherry Wheat (cherries and wild yeas from Denmark), and Kosmic Mother Funk (Brettanomyces & Lactobacillus)
IBUs: 10
Color: 16 SRM
Alcohol by Volume: 5.7%
Yeast Strain: BBC Ale Yeast, Wild Yeast, Brettanomyces & Lactobacillus